From the Article:

The Linda Hall is among dozens of libraries across the United States that house dazzling collections and often mount eccentric exhibitions but largely remain unfamiliar to the public.

“What is fun is to become aware of these marvelous libraries that, though open to the public, are not well known and are filled with wonderful treasures,” said Robert S. Pirie, a prominent book collector who lives in Manhattan and has his own library of several thousand volumes.

Many libraries, whether public or private, are the passionate inspirations of their founders.

Libraries Mentioned in the Article

Linda Hall Library (Kansas City, MO)

…a collection of 500,000 books, journals and pamphlets that make this private library among the largest science libraries in the world.

William Andrews Clark Memorial Library (Los Angeles, CA)

Among its 110,000 volumes is the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays and the first collection of Keats’s poems, with this handwritten dedication to his friend John Byng Gattie, who was ill: “I hope your eyes will soon be well enough to read this with pleasure and ease.”

The Library Company (Philadelphia, PA)

The Library Company in Philadelphia was started by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 when he and a group of friends each bought a share of stock in a new entity that they created…Today, the library holds 500,000 volumes, largely works on pre-19th-century American history.

New York Academy of Medicine Library (New York, NY)

It was opened to the public in 1878 and today holds 750,000 volumes. Its rare books collection includes the Edwin Smith Papyrus, the oldest medical papyrus: a work on surgery that was written in 1700 B.C. (It is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) I

Rosenbach Museum and Library (Philadelphia, PA)

The Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, home to the books once owned by the Rosenbach brothers, well-known book dealers of the last century, has begun a series of hands-on tours, in which visitors can accompany a member of the staff and handle objects from the collection and learn their history.

Access the Complete Article

Source: New York Times

From a Blog Post:

Panelists at a session on “An Age of Discovery: Special Collections in the Digital Age” — part of the Coalition for Networked Information’s fall forum, co-hosted by the Association of Research Libraries — laid out case studies of what can happen when you turn undergraduates loose in special collections. Barbara Rockenbach, director of undergraduate and library education at Yale University Library, described how students in an urban-studies course, “The Mediated City,” created annotated digital city guides as part of their class work. In a history class, “Otherwise Engaged: Intellectuals, Politics, Education,” undergraduates created online narrative exhibits that illustrated specific moments in time.

[Snip]

At some point, Ms. [Sarah L.] Shreeves [coordinator of Illinois's Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (Ideals),] said, librarians have to tackle the question of when the digital accumulation of student work becomes a special collection with its own curatorial demands.

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education (Wired Campus Blog)

If you’re a Brady Bunch geek, you might want to consider a trip to Normal, IL. (-:

From the Article:

llinois State University announced Tuesday its library will house a special collections archive about the 1960s pop culture phenomena.

“As far as I know, this will be the first of its kind,” said Ted Nichelson, an ISU alum and author of “Love to Love You Bradys,” a book focusing on the sitcom’s 1970s variety hour spin-off.

Nichelson spoke at ISU’s Milner Library on Tuesday as part of homecoming week, and signed copies of the book. He said he hopes donating his research materials acts as a seed.

[Snip]

Among items Nichelson gives to ISU are scripts and sheet music from the variety show, as well as original newspaper and magazine clips.
Toni Tucker, an ISU librarian, said possibilities for its use include the School of Communication using the materials in courses on television. Nichelson worked in Milner’s special collections area while an ISU grad student.

Source: The Pantagraph