| Show Friday Oct 1 1 1974 Page 5 Merrill Library archives house multi- million dollar collection of rare items by Ken Sink Staff Reporter Deep within the Merrill Library lie the USU archives a n dollar collection of rare' books manuscripts multi-millio- and microfilm photographs pamphlets in the hopes their value will increase in time Even though the budget of the archives runs into five figures the contributions of rare books and manuscripts is an important aspect relating to the archives growth Since the federal government on the prohibited tax write-off- s value of manuscript'content few will contribute material to the archives of the nation “This is really hurting us” says Sim- - ed Contains Jack London Collection The archives contain “one of the best Jack London collections in the world” according to Jeff Simmons USU archvist The assemblage of original London are manuscripts fireplace tapestries chairs table and chandelier was donated after being acquired from the Hearst family The furnishings date from the late 1 100’s to 1953 Within the room just off the library gallery are 2800 books most European and all valuable Major Source of Local History Books about southern Idaho Utah or the Mormons are bought automatically by the archives which acts as a major source of local history for the student Modern authors whose works are sure to appreciate are readily purchased Rare books are a good investment according to Simmons The value of rare books increases about 15 percent a year just ahead of inflation The value of a book says Simmons depends on the number of copies in existence the value of its information and whether or not ft was controversal The oldest book on file contains the' hours of prayer of the Catholic church published in Created in 1955 “to maintain records of the University” the archives are a part of the Special Collection department Many students use the archives as a source of background information or as an insight into the history of southern Idaho and Utah The archives collections encompass every facet of the Dewey Decimal system from texts to periodicals Currently the archives have 13000 5000 document boxes books and 200000 feet of microfilm The archive personnel 3000 have photographs and have enough photos to mount and catalog to keep them busy until spring are also enough There manuscripts to be processed to keep the staff of eleven occupied for eight years dry-mount- mons Last year the archives received gifts worth $20000 A large contribution to the archives came from the Hatch family in 1953 An entire room with furnished paneling 1493 A rare 1836 copy of the Mexican Laws of the Republic and seventy-fiv- e Brigham Young autographs in various books and letters are shelved in the archives Contains Many Precious Items Among the valued possessions of the archives is a d of in the made world Paris map circa 1716 Jack London’s will and Spencer Taggert’s Middle European book collection are a precious part of the group Some parts of the collection are sealed until the death of the contributor The public section of the archives can be copied but ink is not allowed near the hand-colore- materials Preserving old books and letters calls for the use of acid-fre- e paper Left to themselves printed material on normal paper within a wouli few years Everything coming into contact with archival inmaterial must be acid-fre- e and board cluding mounting document boxes Among the trivia assembled in the archive are: piles of intramural records from beyond 1900 every different letterhead used at USU and the first film made on campus te valued at $250000 Every thesis written by a USU student since 1914 is on file in the archives Along with other manuscripts the correspondance of every USU president except two is on hand within the bowels of the Special Collection department Within the microfilm file are photographs of all the periodicals taken by the general library Also on film are every issue of Playboy since 1970 and every issue of Student Life from 1902 through A library worker examines one of the many precious books housed in the USU Merrill Library archives Included in the collection $250000 are rare Jack London manuscripts uiriijijiiii iy iln'iji valued at I ay w ' ij 1973 1000 New Books Each Year Every year the archives acquire 1000 new books or OCTOBER 11 9:00 pm STUDENTS AND AT THE NEWMAN CENTER Frank Moss proposes FTC monitoring of ods Utah Senator Frank E Moss drafted a letter prodding the Federal Trade Commission to monitor the “image advertising” of some of America’s giant corporations Six members consisting of two Senators and three Congressmen are responsible for the letter this year However there was a petition last January to revise the FTC advertising substantiation rules to include image advertising “On March 12 the Director of THATOPENINGA FREE COFFEE & DOUGHNUTS ANY TALENT IS WELCOME SO BRING YOUR GUITARS CHECKING ACCOUNT so-call- ed IMWHTiMTI - -- the Bureau of Consumer Protection wrote the staff has reviewed (the petition) in- tensively and I expect that the Commission will be reviewing it shortly” the Moss letter said “To date we have seen no Commission action” The letter also says “The advent of cold weather is imminent and so is another ‘energy “IRONSIDES” 11 'MU V BUY YOUR DIAMOND FROM ISA SNAP exclusive FNB Our student checking account--thTHRIFTICHECK goes to the head of its class as the A solution to money management problems enables you to pay your bills by check By mail Your cancelled check is proof of payment It’s a lot easier than running all over town paying bills with cash and it's safer Open your Account and start a whole new chapter in e money-manageme- nt Thrifti-Chec- k Thrifti-Chec- k ! Just 10c a check NonfTTinimum balance Your name and address imprinted FREE and you get a handsome USU checkbook cover FREE! THOMAS Main LOGAN UTAH 73 No crisis’ Last winter’s petroleum shortages will be matched by this winter’s natural gas shortages Because ownership of the two industries is largely identical we can expect to see another shift in Ph 752-11- 82 commercial advertising from production to company image promotion The Commission should act swiftly and positively on our MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE petition” Last year the first year of the tcommueu Ull K 05c 0 vu 1 CORPORATION |
