The St. Louis Room of the Pius XII Memorial Library is responsible for
the identification, acquisition, organization, and preservation of Saint
Louis University's unique or rare collections of archival, manuscript, and
printed items, and for making these special collections available to patrons
for research and study. The St. Louis Room consists of three functional
components:
- The Archives
- The Library
- The Museum
These three components may be distinguished by the different natures of
the material for which each is designed. They may be further sub-divided
into specific activities. What follows here is an explanation of these
three components, their subdivisions, and the nature of the material found in them.
1. The Archives
The nature of most material held in an archives is that it is unique and
one-of-a-kind. This is true of the material in the archives component
of the St. Louis Room of Pius XII Memorial Library. This archives
component is known as "The Saint Louis University Archives".
The Saint Louis University Archives consists of two parts: 1)
University Records; 2) Personal Papers and Manuscripts.
University Records—One of the goals of the St. Louis Room Archives is to
document the activities of Saint Louis University. Thus, the Archives'
first priority is to acquire, appraise, arrange, describe, preserve, and
service the non-active records of Saint Louis University.
Personal Papers and Manuscripts—In support of this goal of documenting the
history of Saint Louis University, the Archives also acquires and services
collections of personal papers and manuscripts that in some way relate to
the activities of the University or of the St. Louis area. Foremost
among such collections are the papers of University faculty or alumni.
2. The Library
Traditionally, libraries have served as repositories for books and other
published materials. The St. Louis Room also contains a library
collection. This library component is known as the "Rare and Special
Books Library". The Rare and Special Books Library consists of two
parts: 1) The Rare Books Collection; 2) The Special Books Collection.
All of the items in the Rare and Special Books Library are kept there because
of their age, physical condition, provenance, or subject matter.
- Rare Books Collection
This portion of the library contains more than 7,500 printed items, all
from before 1820. There are several incunabula in the collection,
the earliest being an item printed in 1474. The very first books of
Saint Louis University's Library are in this Rare Books collection.
- Special Books Collection
This section of the library contains more than 15,000 titles, all published
after 1820. These special books are kept for a variety of reasons,
including the book being: a Saint Louis University publication; authored
by a Saint Louis University faculty, student, or alumni; a first American
edition; a limited edition; aesthetically noteworthy; unusually subject to
damage or loss; autographed by an important author; on a subject of special
collecting interest.
3. The Museum
Museums are repositories for artifacts and objects. The museum component of
the St. Louis Room collects, preserves, and displays the material culture of Saint
Louis University. This consists primarily of objects related to the
University's history.
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