Harold B. Lee Library

Our Common Prayer on 9-11

September 15, 2008 by moscone

The following remarks were inspired by Frank McEntire’s exhibit Spontaneous Memorial

Early in the morning of September 11, 2001, while preparing for work, my wife and I helplessly watched the news report about the commercial jet that struck the first World Trade Center. We felt shocked and confused as we stood 2,000 miles away, unaware of the full story that was to unravel throughout the day.

My thoughts were consumed with the TV’s terrible images as I arrived at work, and in the midst of my helpless feelings a thought came to me, “we should have a department/public prayer”.  I quickly visited each colleagues present in Special Collections and asked them to join me under the atrium in our public reception area. It was sometime in the AM—mid morning. The second plane had just hit the other World Trade Center tower. I then asked our rare bookroom patrons to also join us. Faculty, staff, and patrons, gathered into a wide circle. When I surveyed the group, I caught the eye of our Digital Lab Manager, Robert Espenoza and asked him if he could lead us in prayer. A devout member of the Roman Catholic Church, Espenoza had recently made a pilgrimage to Rome in 2000 and had learned by heart a new rendition of The Lord’s Prayer. Having committed it to memory, he said it now with great serenity as we stood shoulder to shoulder with the morning sun streaming in and around our circle.

-Brad Westwood
Curator of Special Projects and Outreach
brad_westwood@byu.edu

This exhibit can be viewed at http://net.lib.byu.edu/art/McEntire.html

Medieval Manuscripts and Undergraduate Students

August 12, 2008 by Andrew

Professor Jesse Hurlbut, from the French and Italian department, recently collaborated with Maggie Gallup Kopp, Curator of European Books, in a seminar on medieval manuscripts. Hurlbut’s students had the opportunity to personally examine a number of medieval codices and manuscript fragments. They were then assigned to analyze at least 10 facsimiles of medieval manuscripts and to give a seminar presentation on a specific codex. In their studies, students examined various characteristics of medieval bookmaking, including the production of parchment, binding, and decoration within the text.

Dr. Michael Call, of the Humanities and Comparative Literature Department, also worked with Maggie Gallup Kopp in a senior seminar that examined the art and literature of mid-17th century France. Rare titles from the vaults were gathered for the students’ review, including French political and religious treatises, philosophy, and poetry and drama. Students learned how books were printed, illustrated, and published during the reign of Louis XIV, adding to their understanding of how the texts they read for the course were originally received and transmitted.

All of this took place at the bottom of the Lee Library’s glass atrium in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Here the library stores and makes available one-of-kind library materials, including rare books, manuscripts, and an assortment of other scholarly materials and artifacts. The facilities include classrooms and a reading room designed to attract and encourage faculty and students to use the materials. If it all works right, faculty and library curators come together to develop and deliver on-site presentations that combine three-dimensional materials along with state-of-the-art tech resources, bringing to life a host of different topics. BYU not only allows but actively encourages students to access our world-class collections, creating an ideal learning experience and presenting singular opportunities to learn from first-hand sources.

To arrange to meet with a curator about curricula, contact Russ Taylor, Supervisor of Reference Services, at 422-2932 or russ_taylor@byu.edu.