U. Grant Miller Library
Encyclopedia
U. Grant Miller Library is the academic library
for Washington & Jefferson College
, located in Washington, Pennsylvania
. With its origins tracing back to a donation from Benjamin Franklin
in 1789, the collection currently hold 210,000 volumes. The Archives and Special Collections contain significant holdings of historical papers dating to the College's founding. The Walker Room contains the personal library of prominent industrialist John Walker
, complete with all of his library's fixtures and furniture, installed exactly how it had been during Walker's life.
gift from Benjamin Franklin
formed the nucleus of the library at Washington College.
The library has identified five books in the collection from this original purchase. After the unification of Washington College and Jefferson College, the combined library was located in Thompson Memorial Hall and moved to the current building in 1965. The first unified library on campus was the Thompson Library, which is currently known as Thompson Hall. The modern-day Miller Library collection has an open collection of 210,000 volumes
, 500 periodical
titles, over 17,000 Electronic journal
s, 9,500 of which are full text and integrated into the electronic electronic library catalog
. The audio collection has 4,000 LP records
and 300 CDs
.
In the mid 1850s, the Washington College Young Men's Christian Association chapter held 300 volumes in its library collection.
died in 1932, the Walker family donated his private library to the College. His entire library was installed in the library exactly as it had been—including an extensive collection of books, bookcases, pictures, furniture, chandeliers, and stained-glass lamps. It had been originally installed in the Thompson Library, but moved to its current location in 1965.
The Patterson Collection includes a broad array of approximately 500 old and rare books dating from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. This circulating collection was donated in 1929 by the estate of Thomas Hamilton Hoge Patterson of Philadelphia, a real estate developer during the early 20th century and the son of Joseph Patterson, founder of the Western Theological Seminary
.
The library maintains the Archives & Special Collections Library, a repository for primary documents relating to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century U.S. history, with a special emphasis on Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad and the Whiskey Rebellion. The Learned T. Bulman '48 Historic Archives & Museum holds rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials relating to the college's history. It was named for a W&J alum in honor of a $1 million gift. With the CONTENTdm
data management interface, many of these materials are available through the U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives, a multimedia collection of historical material from college's history, spanning the history of the log colleges, Washington College, Jefferson College, and Washington & Jefferson College.
Academic library
An academic library is a library that is attached to academic institutions above the secondary level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff...
for Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
, located in Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. With its origins tracing back to a donation from Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
in 1789, the collection currently hold 210,000 volumes. The Archives and Special Collections contain significant holdings of historical papers dating to the College's founding. The Walker Room contains the personal library of prominent industrialist John Walker
John Walker (industrialist)
John Walker was a prominent iron and steel industrialist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the early 20th century. He was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now known as Pittsburgh's North Side. His father was a Scottish immigrant...
, complete with all of his library's fixtures and furniture, installed exactly how it had been during Walker's life.
History
In 1789, a 50£Pennsylvania pound
The pound was the currency of Pennsylvania until 1793. It was created as a response to the global economic downturn caused by the collapse of the South Sea Company. Initially, the British pound and certain foreign coins circulated, supplemented from 1723 by local paper money, called Colonial Scrip...
gift from Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
formed the nucleus of the library at Washington College.
The library has identified five books in the collection from this original purchase. After the unification of Washington College and Jefferson College, the combined library was located in Thompson Memorial Hall and moved to the current building in 1965. The first unified library on campus was the Thompson Library, which is currently known as Thompson Hall. The modern-day Miller Library collection has an open collection of 210,000 volumes
Volume (publishing)
A volume is a single book that is part of a collection; also a bibliographic identifier for a sequence of periodicals....
, 500 periodical
Periodical publication
Periodical literature is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar examples are the newspaper, often published daily, or weekly; or the magazine, typically published weekly, monthly or as a quarterly...
titles, over 17,000 Electronic journal
Electronic journal
Electronic journals, also known as ejournals, e-journals, and electronic serials, are scholarly journals or intellectual magazines that can be accessed via electronic transmission. In practice, this means that they are usually published on the Web...
s, 9,500 of which are full text and integrated into the electronic electronic library catalog
Library catalog
A library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
. The audio collection has 4,000 LP records
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and 300 CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
In the mid 1850s, the Washington College Young Men's Christian Association chapter held 300 volumes in its library collection.
Archives and Special Collections
When Pittsburgh iron and steel industrialist John WalkerJohn Walker (industrialist)
John Walker was a prominent iron and steel industrialist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the early 20th century. He was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now known as Pittsburgh's North Side. His father was a Scottish immigrant...
died in 1932, the Walker family donated his private library to the College. His entire library was installed in the library exactly as it had been—including an extensive collection of books, bookcases, pictures, furniture, chandeliers, and stained-glass lamps. It had been originally installed in the Thompson Library, but moved to its current location in 1965.
The Patterson Collection includes a broad array of approximately 500 old and rare books dating from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. This circulating collection was donated in 1929 by the estate of Thomas Hamilton Hoge Patterson of Philadelphia, a real estate developer during the early 20th century and the son of Joseph Patterson, founder of the Western Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, founded in 1794, is a graduate theological institution associated with the Presbyterian Church USA. It is located in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and houses one of the largest theological libraries in the nation...
.
The library maintains the Archives & Special Collections Library, a repository for primary documents relating to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century U.S. history, with a special emphasis on Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad and the Whiskey Rebellion. The Learned T. Bulman '48 Historic Archives & Museum holds rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials relating to the college's history. It was named for a W&J alum in honor of a $1 million gift. With the CONTENTdm
CONTENTdm
CONTENTdm is digital collection management software that allows for the upload, description, management and access of digital collections. It is Unicode and Z39.50 compatible. CONTENTdm can handle documents, PDFs, finding aids , images, videos, and audio files...
data management interface, many of these materials are available through the U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives, a multimedia collection of historical material from college's history, spanning the history of the log colleges, Washington College, Jefferson College, and Washington & Jefferson College.
External links
- W&J: U. Grant Miller Library (official library website)
- U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives