UNH Today

UNH’s Dimond Library is the new home of a rare botanical book collection that includes some volumes dating back as far as the 15th century, thanks to a partnership with Ne位于塔山的英格兰植物园 in Boylston, Massachusetts.

The collection, 植物园捐赠给联合国大学的, 是米尔恩特别收藏和档案的最新成员吗. The library hosted an opening reception to begin showcasing the collection Saturday, Sept. 23.

“One of the things that attracted the botanical garden to us as a potential home for the collection is our public service mission at UNH,” says Elizabeth Slomba, UNH特别馆藏馆员. “They gave the collection to us as a measure of faith in what UNH can do.”

伍斯特郡园艺学会, Ne位于塔山的英格兰植物园 Collection features more than 500 titles, with works dating from the early to mid-1800s as well as the select titles dating back to the late 1400s. It includes monographs and periodicals as well as drawings and lithograph depictions of New England-based fruit and flowers.

Some notable titles in the collection include the first edition of John Muir’s “Our National Parks” and “Incipit Tractatus de virtutibus Herbarium,这是一份来自古典的匿名汇编, 最初在美因茨出版的阿拉伯语和中世纪资料, Germany in 1484.

“For many years, the Garden’s rare and valuable books were only accessible via special request during our library’s limited hours. 考虑到花园的教育使命, our trustees made the decision that it was time to find a better home for the collection,” says Grace Elton, 新英格兰植物园的首席执行官. “They were determined to find a partner who would not only properly care for the collection but also make it more widely available. They had high standards and strict criteria for the collection’s new home. The Dimond Library has professional special collections staff and the facilities needed to protect these precious materials and handle them appropriately. They also have the experience and a reputation for maintaining the highest standards.”

The books in the collection cover a wide range of botanical topics and will serve as a valuable resource for students and as additional material that may enhance certain courses. There are easy connections to make with the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, 而是斯隆巴和萨曼莎·布拉德伯里·科斯特, 图书馆的公关经理, 注意，还有许多其他潜在的合适人选, 包括艺术史或广告.

“We’re always thinking about how we can enrich the experience for the students, 大学的教职员工, 像这样的藏品有助于完成这一使命,” Slomba says. “这样的礼物可以帮助我们改善教育体验.”

该收藏将供社区成员查看, as well, and there are plans to digitize parts of the collection so that some of the material may ultimately be viewed by a more global audience.

可以通过联系来安排探索收藏的约会 archives@raynoldsnarh.net.

“We are thrilled the UNH will make this collection available to the academic community and the public, too,” Elton says. “We hope the collection will inspire and inform future study in fields from agriculture and plant science to book arts, printmaking and more. You never know how valuable archival collections can be to future scientific research.”