This telescopic peep-show of the Thames Tunnel in 1825 -- part of the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art -- will be among the special treasures of the Yale Library collections on view at the Oct. 7 display.

Exhibit will offer Yale community a peek at libraries' treasures

While their shelves are packed with literally millions of volumes, there's more -- lots more -- to Yale's libraries than just books. The University's libraries also contain renowned collections of rare maps, ancient clay tablets, historic wax recordings, political posters, theatrical photos, expeditionary field notebooks, etchings of London, Yale memorabilia, and much more. Members of the Yale community are invited to view treasures from many of these collections at a Special Collections Fair being held 1-5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, in the mezzanine of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, corner of Wall and High streets. Admission to the event is free. Library staff will be on hand to explain how students, staff and faculty can gain access to these materials and many others for both study and research. Refreshments will be served and prizes will be raffled off throughout the afternoon. "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? If a library is full of riches, but nobody knows they're there, what difference can they make?" says Ann Okerson, associate University librarian for collections and technical services. "Yale's library is so full of riches that it would take years to become acquainted with even a fraction of them. The fair is an opportunity for members of the campus community to glimpse those riches." Many of the collections to be featured are housed in Sterling Memorial Library. These include: Arts of the Book, Babylonian, Manuscripts and Archives, Maps, Music and Historical Sound Recordings, and the Collections Care Program, which handles preservation and repair of circulating materials. Manuscripts and Archives will set up several display tables. One will focus on Yale football memorabilia, including programs from the "Roaring Twenties," documents written by Walter Camp and a photo of President Gerald Ford as a Yale law student coaching the Bulldogs. Another table will highlight May Day 1970, the Black Panther Trial, and original materials from that era of campus and civil unrest. A third table will feature recent publications based on materials in Yale's collection, including biographies of dictionary-writer Noah Webster and 20th-century social commentator and political scientist Max Lerner. The Yale Center for British Art will exhibit items from its Departments of Rare Books and of Prints and Drawings, including a double telescopic peep show of the Thames River tunnel, made in 1835 as a souvenir. This paper artifact unfolds to reveal colored engravings of the tunnel below and the river traffic above. The Historical Medical Library expects to display a Civil War amputation kit, complete with bone saw, and an 18th century obstetrical forceps that was used with neither antiseptics nor anesthesia on mothers in labor. Photos from early Yale School of Medicine classes and a sample hand-written thesis from the 1840s will be displayed, along with items from the "quack medicine" bag of tricks -- including a glazed china phrenology head purporting to label portions of the brain by function; patent medicine trade cards; and advertising almanacs. Also on view will be treasures from the collections of the Divinity School Library, the Drama School Library, the Faber Birren Collection of Books on Color in the Art & Architecture Library, the Film Study Center, the Lewis Walpole Library, and the Peabody Museum of Natural History. -- By Gila Reinstein T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Women with breast cancer genes risk relapse with conservative therapies Ex-Secretary of State describes greatest foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. Researchers discover animals will shun others with infectious diseases Exhibit will offer Yale community a peek at libraries' treasures HHS Secretary to talk about Medicare, privacy issues NY governor, UPenn president are year's first Chubb Fellows Solicitor General Waxman to speak at Law Reunion Conference to explore 'dilemma' over use of cost-benefit analysis to make policy decisions Headstone dedication will highlight Divinity Convocation Goethe's contributions to science, modern culture celebrated Grant supports STAR program to promote success in sciences Scientists studying how animals move in perfect tandem Two-part sculpture coming together for first time at Yale center Human figure and landscape explored in Asian art exhibit Exhibit features works of Chinese artist who mixes Western and Eastern styles and symbols Yale hosts day-long conference on Asian studies Stalin's secret plans to invade Alaska among topics discussed at international conference . . . Yale launching annual United Way fundraising drive Series focuses on slavery in early U.S. and the Middle Ages Drug for glaucoma will be tested in clinical trial at the medical school Medical program will focus on topic of breast cancer German scholar to speak to local Humboldt chapter members . . . In the News . . . Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus| Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page