Library Acquires One Millionth Volume
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Dick Ross (l) and Jeffrey Kaimowitz display
the library’s one millionth volume, a first edition copy of
Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. |
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Book
lovers from both on campus and off gathered recently in the Joslin
Family 1823 Room at the Raether Library and Information Technology
Center to celebrate the addition of the one millionth volume to the
collection of the Trinity College Library. The book, a first edition
copy of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859), is on
display as part of the special collections Watkinson Library’s
exhibition, “The Evolution of Evolution: From the Pre-Socratics to the
Modern Evolutionary Synthesis.” Prepared by Watkinson Head Librarian
Jeffrey Kaimowitz, the exhibit runs through December 31 and is free
and open to the public. “On the Origin of Species is especially
fitting as it is perhaps the most influential scientific work of all
time,” explains Kaimowitz. “The theory of evolution in its modern form
has brought together all aspects of science in a way that is fruitful
in itself, but also of great significance for areas outside pure
science, including medicine and various aspects of social science and
humanities.”
The occasion was marked with a well-attended reception and
presentation that included remarks by President Jones, Interim Dean of
Faculty Frank Kirkpatrick, and a keynote address by Professor of
Biology Dan Blackburn. Blackburn’s talk, entitled “Trinity’s Millionth
Volume: A Natural Selection,” emphasized the far-reaching influence
that On the Origin of Species continues to exert in the world of
science and beyond, and outlined Darwin’s life and the genesis of
thinking that led to the writing of his most famous book.
During his remarks, College Librarian Richard Ross detailed some of
the library’s milestones throughout the years, from its humble
beginnings in Seabury Hall to the state-of-the-art Raether Center.
Ross emphasized that the library’s remarkable accomplishments are the
result of support and contributions from generations of devoted
individuals. He also paid tribute to the librarians that preceded him,
who, through their collective skill and dedication, developed the
library’s facilities and collections. On hand for the celebration was
former librarian Ralph Emerick, 1972 to 1990, and Associate Academic
Dean Stephen L. Peterson, who served as College librarian from 1991 to
2000.
For further information about the exhibition, please go to:
www.trincoll.edu/depts/library/watkinson/exhibits.htm.
Jessica Smith, Trinity’s outreach librarian, contributed to this
story.
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