History of Special Collections

Milne Library has a long history of maintaining several special collections. Some of these began with the advent of the college while others have been acquired over the years. In the first Milne Library (what is now Alumni Hall) the collections were housed in a pleasant but small room on the second floor. Dorothy Ryndes was responsible for the collections then. Upon her retirement in 1970, Martha Chambers assumed the care and maintenance of the collections. Under her loving attention, the collections grew and, with the move of the library to the new building in 1974 and the move of special collections to the third floor Alden Room, Martha and special collections were synonymous. With the elegance of the room and Martha as gracious hostess for evening programs, lectures and other special events and exhibits spelled a certain style and ambience which were unique.

Martha retired in 1986 and Diane Clark took over care of the collections. Diane continued to direct the collections even after she became head of cataloging in 1988, both two full-time jobs. When Diane went on extended family leave, the responsibility for SCC was borne by the resurrection of the SCC Committee in 1995. An earlier committee of the same name but with a broader, slightly different mission had been disbanded in 1977. Duties were divided among members. Since 1995 there have been a number of changes in membership. Mary Lynn Bensen, Andrea Gerberg, Heather Heyduk, and Anne McFarland comprise the Committee today.

The special collections have long since broken out of the confines of the Alden Room. Additional storage space is spread throughout the library. It is hoped that someday all collections as well as a reading room will share adjacent space and that the collections will be housed in an environmentally controlled area avoiding the vagaries of heat, light and humidity which can be the enemy of the books and materials worth saving for future generations.