Arts & Culture

Exploring the ABCs of the UVA Library

A library is home to a host of books, yes, but also artifacts, objects and even movies.

The University of Virginia Library’s collection is no different. It contains everything from the earliest printed materials to the Tibetan Book of the Dead to student-made advertisements for something called the “experimental university.”

These items, along with roughly 200 others, will be on display for a yearlong exhibition, “The ABCs of the UVA Library,” hosted in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, as well as the Shannon, Clemons, Fiske Kimball Fine Arts, and Charles L. Brown Science & Engineering libraries. The exhibition opens Wednesday, two days after Leo Lo, the new University librarian and dean of libraries, steps into his role.

Each section of the exhibition corresponds to a letter of the alphabet – though there are some duplicates – for a total of 48 topics.

UVA Today got a sneak peek at parts of the exhibition before its opening. Take a look below:

C is for Clemons

a letter written on a typewriter on letterhead from the University of Nanking

One piece on exhibition is this letter from the University’s 10th librarian, Harry Clemons, to a former student he taught at the University of Nanking, which was located in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

C is for Clemons, though it would equally stand for correspondence or China. Curator Veronica Fu, the East Asian Collections librarian, selected a series of letters between Harry Clemons, the 10th University librarian, and a former student of his in China. Clemons was an English professor and a librarian at the University of Nanking from 1913 until 1927, when he began working at UVA.

In the letters on display, Clemons helps the former student find scholarship opportunities to go to library school in the United States.

“I would say that the student became a pioneer of library science. He comes to the United States to study library science, then goes back to China, then returns to the United States to work in the Library of Congress,” Fu said.

UVA has more than 100 letters between Clemons and his former students, demonstrating his commitment to their success.

I is for Incunabula

an incunabula holding a music book written in Latin open to a hymn

Curator Winston Barham says it was easier to print music books, like this one, in different colors of ink. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

“Incunabula,” from Latin, or incunables in English, refers to books “in the cradle” of a new technology that revolutionized the production of books in Europe: printing with movable type. The books on display in this section are older than the United States, all having been produced before 1500. Previously, books had to be handwritten.

Consequently, people publishing manuscripts in the past invented symbols and abbreviations for common words or parts of words. Early printed books replicated these symbols, even though someone working a printing press could have spelled out these words in full.

Discovery and Innovation: NASA selects UVA researcher for asteroid mission

“It’s the story of a culture adapting to a new technology,” Winston Barham, curator and open access librarian, said. “Think of when the Kindle first came out. We’ve been reading things on computer screens. We’re all used to that, but how are you going to make this look and feel like a book?”

Early printed books were customizable and still had a human touch. Illustrations might be printed with a woodblock, but a decorator would still color the image. Depending on their budget, a customer could have different bindings for their book or add decorative edges to the pages of the volume.

I is for Index

Mandy Rizki holding a yellow poster with a purple border depicting a European-style red dragon breathing fire above a cartoonish knight

Reference librarian Mandy Rizki holds a poster for the “experimental university,” which taught students subjects like carpentry and photography. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

You’ve likely referred to an index at the end of the book to find a person, place or event you were interested in. But the index for the University History Clippings Collection helps users find any manner of materials related to UVA history, from contemporaneous news articles about UVA’s Coat and Tie Rebellion of 1969, to stories about the theft of a Jefferson bust in the 1970s, to posters advertising “the experimental university” during the 1960s and ’70s.

The experimental university is one of curator and reference librarian Mandy Rizki’s favorite folders in the index.

“It was a kind of teach-in. Students would hold these events; they would seek teachers, and they would really range from academic topics all the way to hands-on items. They had bartending, car repair, photography, carpentry, but they also had Southern radicalism,” Rizki said.

P is for Pandemic Artists’ Books

an art book created during the COVID-19 pandemic

An artist’s book in UVA’s Special Collections captures personal reflections of isolation, fear and resilience during the pandemic. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

While many attempted to distract themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Preservation Brenda Gunn sought to acquire artists’ books that offer first-person narratives about the pandemic for the library.

“I saw really quickly that this is a way that we can document people’s experiences of the pandemic. It could be years before we get any diaries or letters or things like that that we think of as archival, but these are clearly personal observations of the isolation and fear, but also moments of contemplation and realization that we were in this together.” Gunn said.

The objects in the pandemic books section reflect the resourcefulness of artists and bookmakers during lockdown. There is a book made from a Topo Chico mineral water carton and sticky note drawings a child sent to his grandparents describing his emotions.

T is for Trade Catalogs

a hand holds open a trade catalog warning of the dangers of other washing machines. On the right is an illustration of a girl missing fingers from just such an accident.

This trade catalog advertises a washing machine by emphasizing its safety features, namely, you won’t lose any of your fingers while using it. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

During the Gilded Age, a period of intense wealth inequality following the Civil War, some companies took to printing full catalogs to advertise themselves to both potential customers and employees.

The catalogs display the most inventive manufactured goods from that time. Printing photos in mass-produced materials was prohibitively expensive, so companies relied on narratives to market themselves.

One, called “The Model Factory of the World,” paints a rosy picture of the future.

“It’s a very techno-optimist view of the future of labor. It says labor can be more efficient and therefore more profitable. It reminded me of all these conversations that we’re having about AI,” said Nicholas Cummins, the economics and commerce research librarian, who worked with Imaging Specialist Stacey Evans to curate this section of the exhibition.

“It’s saying work can be easier, faster, more pleasant – but even with those time savings, you’re still at work,” Cummins said.

T is for Tibetan Collection

a Tibetan “pecha” book showing Tibetan numbers beside a fabric square

Unlike many Tibetan works, this book, or “pecha,” uses only Tibetan numbers. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Though Tibet is more than 7,000 miles from Grounds, UVA still boasts one of the most extensive collections of Tibetan books and serials in the world. Since nearly all of the materials were published in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet, and in small press runs, much of the collection consists of out-of-print or unique items.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, on display in the exhibition, is an 18th-century “pecha,” a printed loose-leaf or unbound work. Its pages are numbered only with Tibetan numerals, which makes it rare, according to Nawang Thokmey, the librarian for Tibetan, Buddhist and contemplative studies.