The Endlessly Fascinating Special Collections of Augustana College

Don’t you just love older books? They have a life of their own that one can find so fascinating. The Cataloging Maintenance Center (CMC) was reminded of this captivation when Augustana College sent in special collection items to be cataloged. The special collection included books dating from the 1600s  and onwards, and in at least half a dozen different world languages. Read on to learn more about a few of these gems.

One of cataloger Mary Cornell’s favorites was an illustrated pictorial work about animals and nature from 1888 called The Kingdom of Nature edited by Mrs. Frank Leslie that looked at animals we might normally find in zoos and relayed facts, illustrations, and possible other sources of research about the animals. The cover, seen below, reminded Mary of  books they read in childhood and was intriguing to flip through during cataloging.

Next, we’re taking a glimpse at one of the oldest items sent from Augustana. Printed in 1656 in London, Glossographia or a dictionary interpreting all such hard words was especially interesting to catalog as it pushed the cataloger to use tools that might not ordinarily be used in everyday work, including images of and resources that describe the Old English Latin alphabet. As seen on the cover, the word ‘such’ is written using this script and can be found throughout the item.

Lastly, we’re sharing a program from the Chicago 1893 Exhibition. This program relayed plans for set up, some of the programs that would be included, and the back also mentioned the specific date and place in Chicago where it would be held. As we often catalog a great deal of local history, it was enjoyable to see an item that was not only a piece of historical significance but also was part of multiple collections we catalog.

Do you have a special collection that you need cataloged? Contact the Cataloging Maintenance Center about this free service and see if your items qualify at cmc@illinoisheartland.org!