A new Lupton Library Special Collections exhibit showcases a letter from India’s most memorable spiritual and political leader, Mahatma Gandhi, when he addressed University students 80 years ago.
“The letter from Gandhi came about from a project University President Alexander Guerry did in the early 1930s. He wrote a lot of famous people to solicit a letter from them to the incoming freshmen, to encourage them in their early college days,” said Steve Cox, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist at the Lupton Library.
The Special Collections of Lupton Library is exhibiting some of its most interesting and discrete items through June 1, in an exhibit titled “Our Cabinets of Antiquarian Curiosities.”
Several items in the collection date back to the 1880s. Many donated items in the collection are pertinent to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Southern history, especially interesting are those relating to the Civil War in this region.
“Southern literature is another area we’re looking to build on. When someone donates books or papers to the Special Collections we process them, organize them, take conservation measures to ensure longevity, house them and make them available to researchers,” Cox said.
Additional items on display include a 1632 printing of William Shakespeare’s play, The Twelfth Night; and other historical documents and photographs.
“We have been collecting items literally going back to the university’s first years, in the 1880s. As a result we have many interesting things. We keep our collections and items in a secure location with humidity control, however the new library will have even more storage space and temperature/humidity control in storage areas. We are always looking for interesting items to add to the Special Collections,” Cox said.
To learn more about the Special Collections of Lupton Library visit http://www.lib.utc.edu/specialcollections.html
To donate historical items to the Lupton Library call Cox at 423-425-2186.
