What do a poster from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, a “pirated” edition of the Nuremburg Chronicles from 1496, and a 1591 copy of Metamorphosis have in common? They are all available at the Special Collections at Green Library, and all undergraduates can see and touch them.
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| An image from the Nuremburg Chronicles. (Source: Wikipedia; {{PD1923}}) |
In January, Robert Barrick took the Humanities Circle, an undergraduate group sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center, on a trip to Special Collections to see what the fuss is all about. “We wanted students to know what is available and how to access it,” Barrick says.
To prepare for the visit, Barrick worked extensively with John Mustain, Curator of Rare Books. Barrick says, “While the students could access these items on their own, it was wonderful to have [John Mustain] provide his expertise on a special guided tour.” Mustain actively encourages a hands-on approach to the items in the Collection–touch the pages, smell the vellum–helping students get a full sensory experience of the richness and depth of the history involved.
During their visit, the group got a sampling of items hand-picked by Mustain representing some of his favorite pieces in the Collection: students could examine a leaf of the Gutenberg Bible, a student text with marginalia from the 16th century, and an 18th-century map of Japan. One music major was particularly excited to see an original hand-written composition by Mozart.
All students can access the Special Collections through a request from the library’s website. “The difficulty is that you have to know what you are looking for before you request it,” Barrick says. “That’s why we wanted to visit in person–so students would start thinking about the ways they could use the Collection.”
Books and documents are not the only things available in Special Collections. The group is planning another visit to the Collections on March 12 to see the variety of realia–real life objects–in house. “One of the more surprising things in the collection is a pair of Allen Ginsburg’s sneakers. We’re hoping we can see some artifacts like these and many more rare books and documents when we visit in March,” explains Barrick.
The Humanities Circle is open to all undergraduates, regardless of major. If you are interested in joining the Circle’s trip to the Special Collections in March, or any of the other talks, film screenings, or lunches the group sponsors, email Robert Barrick at rbarrick@stanford.edu.
