\u201cI find it a rare thing to get a dollar, but I find some encouragement in procuring books for the University Library,\u201d Browne wrote<\/a> to Joab Comstock on May 16, 1811. \u201cIn Baltimore I have collected about 200 vol. of different descriptions & subjects & about 200 vol. in Washington. I have the prospect of many more \u2013 so that I do expect I shall procure a handsome library.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of these books were later sold in Cincinnati to raise money, and some of them comprised the very first Miami University library.<\/p>\n Both the University Libraries in general and the Walter Havighurst Special Collections in particular remain dependent on the generous support of the many alumni, faculty, community members and others who value and support the role of higher education and the importance of heritage collections like ours.<\/p>\n And one of the fun things about working in Special Collections is that you never know what\u2019s going to show up on your doorstep. We have space and staff limitations, of course, so we can\u2019t accept everything. (See the Libraries\u2019 gift policy<\/a> for more details.) But this week both a Miami faculty member and a Miami student approached me with some significant donations of materials that we were happy to accept.<\/p>\n At the same time we deeply appreciate the generous financial gifts we receive that allow us to purchase materials relevant to our collections and the classes and researchers who use them. The Kelmscott Chaucer<\/a> noted in this space last week was purchased with funds given by a number of donors, as were three other significant acquisitions we\u2019ll be describing in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Supporting Special Collections and the University Libraries is an investment in the education of our students, in the pursuit of knowledge, and in the preservation of our cultural heritage. It\u2019s hard to imagine a better return on your investment than that. I\u2019d like to think that Miami\u2019s very first donors would agree.<\/p>\n Elizabeth Brice<\/em> In the course of preparing for an upcoming talk to the McGuffey Museum Volunteers, I\u2019ve been reminded that some aspects of the academic enterprise never change: in this case, fundraising. Both the University and the University Libraries have relied upon…<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/JWBrowne2.jpg\" "\\"JWBrowne2\\"")
<\/a>He met with some success in the nation\u2019s capital, itself still a new city, when a number of government officials received him. His subscription book<\/a> records that Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky promised $20 and Secretary of State James Monroe $15. But it is also in \u201cWashington City\u201d that we see the first of many entries like that for Paul Hamilton, Secretary of the Navy, who subscribed for $15 \u201c(and several books).\u201d \u00a0In fact through much of his journey Rev. Browne proved more successful in obtaining donations of books than of money (although he also garnered other gifts in kind, including a barrel of \u201cSpanish whiting\u201d or whitewash, and a group of locks and hinges).<\/p>\n
\nAssistant Dean for Technical Services and
\nHead, Special Collections & Archives<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"