Although most students rarely venture away from the first floor computer terminals in the Downtown Library Complex, Wise Library, the university’s orignial library before adding on, is actually home to a rather impressive selection of books. In addition to the characteristic selection of literature and scholastic texts, the collection is also attractive for those interested in old and rare books from all over the world.

Located on the sixth floor, the Rare Books Room contains a plethora of valuable texts that have either been donated to the library from outside sources or relocated from the main collection.

Harold Forbes, the collection’s curator, said the conservation of rare texts serves a dual purpose. “Our responsibilities are to maintain conditions for ideal preservation while allowing researchers to have access to the material,” Forbes said.

A majority of the books were donated in 1950 by Arthur S. Dayton, whose contribution includes most predominantly Shakespeare’s “Four Folios” and the works of several important 19th and 20th century American authors.

However, within the past few years, new collections have worked to showcase the room’s literary diversity. “We’ve got some really nice collections, including nearly 650 volumes of Isaac Asimov’s work,” Forbes said. “It’s about as complete a collection as you can find.”

The Rare Books Room most recently added two leather-bound hymnals that date back to the early 1400s. Although they have yet to be appraised, Forbes estimates their value at well over $10,000. “It was donated by William Bacon from St. Albans, W.Va., who was a lifelong book collector.

Although the room covers a broad assortment of subject matter – ranging from 15th century hymnals to mid-20th century science fiction – the collection is particularly strong in the areas of literature, history, religion, philosophy and natural history.

There is not a standardized method for determining a book’s status as a rare text, but Forbes suggested a number of possible features that can contribute. “Age is only a beginning point. The year 1800 is considered a watershed because before that, every book is hand-printed.”

Forbes said that demand and subject matter are ultimately better for judging rarity. “Rarity comes from demand. Being the first book about a subject can also be an important factor,” Forbes said.

Those interested in viewing the collection or using it for research purposes can’t simply walk in and pull a book off the shelf. The books are kept in a highly controlled environment to allow for their continued preservation.

“We wear gloves when we handle the books and maintain a constant temperature and humidity. If a book is in particularly bad shape, we’ll have a book conservationist come in.”

And as the collection continues to grow, students can be assured that the Rare Books Room will continue to preserve both the invaluable texts – and unprecedented literary history – of the old Wise Library.

The room is accessible by appointment only. For more information, visit www.libraries.wvu.edu/rarebooks.

West Virginia History OnView, a new digital photograph database launched during Mountaineer Week, provides online access to more than 5,000 historical photographs housed in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. The database is expected to eventually swell to more than 25,000 images.

“The West Virginia Collection has the finest collection of historical photographs relating to West Virginia in existence,” WVRHC Curator John Cuthbert said. “We are now making the best of them available for viewing by anyone with Internet access.”

The popular collection, containing more than 150,000 images, is used regularly by students and faculty at WVU and other institutions, researchers, historians, and members of the media. Pictures found often end up in term papers, classroom presentations, newspaper and magazine articles, and documentaries. However, finding that one sought-after photograph has traditionally required a hefty investment of time, thought, and patience. The creation of the databases should alleviate much of the common frustrations.

First, Internet access brings convenience. Rather than making a trip to Morgantown, a researcher can simply search through the user-friendly database from the comforts of home or office. Gone also are the time limitations that stump people pressed to complete their work within the limited operational hours of the WVRHC.

The greatest advance, however, is surely the enhanced search capabilities. Broad subject headings and the absence of a cross-indexing system for the physical photograph collection confounded many users in the past. A researcher looking for a photo of a specific Morgantown business or school, for example, might have to had to wade through the entire Morgantown group of several hundred photos. If the desired photograph was a shot of a steamboat on the Monongahela River passing under the Westover Bridge, the photo might not even be housed in the Morgantown section but filed instead under steamboats, rivers, or bridges.

The new database, which incorporates detailed cataloging and descriptive information for each image, will enable users to perform instantaneous searches on any word or combination of words. The person hunting for that steamboat photo could find it through at least three paths: steamboats, rivers, or bridges. Or, if the photo has a description, a search would lock onto a word in that paragraph, such as the name of the boat, its owner, or any other identifying feature included.

Dr. Ken Fones-Wolf, an associate professor of history at WVU, has high expectations for the image database. His teaching and research work requires regular trips to the WVHC to search through the historic photographs for images capturing industry and other aspects of life in West Virginia.

“Looking at the visual images of Wheeling over time, you really get a sense of underlying changes that are going on – the way in which the town is growing, the way in which the town is changing. You can see evidence of the arrival of industry and immigrants,” Fones-Wolf said. “You can read about it, but photographs really drive home those changes.”

He anticipates the enhanced access to greatly enhance his and other researchers’ work because they will be able to find things they may not know to look for.

“I was aware of the salt industry, but now I can go to images in places that I wasn’t aware had been in the center of the salt industry, like Malden,” Fones-Wolf said. “It will be a goldmine.”

Only partially complete, the project has already required nearly a year’s dedication from multiple departments within the WVU Libraries. In building the databases, WVRHC staff members have scanned the photographs and Gordon Ernst, Libraries Cataloger, has edited the description of each image and created multiple subject headings to ensure accurate and comprehensive searches.

“The Library Systems Department and the Cataloging Department have worked very hard with the West Virginia Collection to bring this project to reality,” said Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries. “It is an excellent example of how library technology can enhance historical research. We are all very pleased with how this project turned out, and we know people in West Virginia will appreciate this glimpse of past life and culture.”

While the WVRHC in Wise Library has traditionally served mostly academics, historians, and writers, Cuthbert anticipates a rush of citizens simply interested in their own heritage taking advantage of the new database. And he expects them to be pleased with what they find.

“It won’t matter where you are in West Virginia, there is going to be something on our site that’s going to resonate with everybody personally,” Cuthbert said.