October is American Archives Month
Celebrate American Archives Month with curators and conservators of the library.
Special Collections, from BYU History to Pop Culture
Wednesday, October 4th, 11:00am – 1:00pm, HBLL 3rd floor
Did you know that L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the repository for BYU historical records? Did you know that we are collecting current 21st Century Mormon history? Come see a display of BYU yearbooks and newspapers from past centuries combined with current archival collections from the past few years. The curators for these collections will be on hand to answer any questions. Giveaways will include one-of-a-kind postcards and a Limited Edition L. Tom Perry Special Collections Pin to the first 100 visitors at the booth who “follow” us on one of our social media sites.
Conservation Roadshow
Wednesday, October 11th, 1:00-4:00 pm, HBLL 3452
Bring your journals, photographs, and other artifacts to the Harold B. Lee Library Conservation Lab (3452 HBLL) and learn how to care for them. Christina Thomas and Christopher McAfee, conservators for the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, will evaluate your personal and family heirlooms and share best ways to repair and store these priceless items. You can also come to get an inside look at what goes on behind the Conservation Lab doors.
Famous Signatures from the Archive
Tuesday, October 17th, from 3:30 to 4:30pm, HBLL 1131
For one day only, L. Tom Perry Special Collections will display original documents from the Vault, signed by famous historical figures such as George Washington, Joseph Smith, Charles Dickens, Jane Addams, Ida McKinley, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Isaac Asimov, Jimmy Stewart and others. This event is open to everyone.
The Making of The Saint John’s Bible
Tuesday, October 24th, 3:00-4:00 pm, HBLL 1160
The Saint John’s Bible, a work of art and theology, was created by a group of artists coordinated by Donald Jackson in Wales and a team of scholars in Central Minnesota. The result is a stunning amalgam of the ancient techniques of calligraphy and illumination with a modern flair. The Harold B. Lee Library owns the only copy in the state of Utah of the remarkable seven-volume Heritage Edition facsimile of this bible.
Join us for a fascinating and informative discussion of the behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Saint John’s Bible with special guest speaker Brad Neary, Director of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program at Saint John’s University in Minnesota. Following the presentation, you are invited to view all seven volumes of the Heritage Edition in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections classroom.
Hold a 1st Edition Book of Mormon
Thursday, October 26th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm HBLL 3rd floor
In late 1829, Joseph Smith arranged to have the Book of Mormon printed by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York, and the first copy was off the press by March, 1830. Today, it’s estimated that fewer than 700 copies survive. BYU owns six copies of the 1830 Book of Mormon. Each copy is a treasure, and we take great care to preserve them. Each copy is also a connection to the Church’s foundation and the testimonies that motivated the first generation of Latter-day Saints. The Harold B. Lee Library and L. Tom Perry Special Collections invites you to visit the HBLL 3rd floor atrium to hold one of our copies and take a moment to turn a few pages.
Horror and Edgar Allan Poe
Tuesday, October 31st, 1:00 pm, HBLL 1131
Come listen to Dr. Carl Sederholm discuss Edgar Allan Poe and the tradition of horror. Afterward, see some spooky and strange things in Special Collections’ “Strange Things from the Archives” exhibit including February 1845’s The American Review where Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” was first published.