Special Collections Overview
The Library’s Special Collections, with origins in nineteenth-century donations from major Chicago-area private libraries, reflect the College’s beginnings and patronage from Chicago’s leadership community. Generally, the approximately quarter-million manuscript leaves and approximately fifty-thousand books and publications are distributed among five categories:
Presbyterian roots of College founders, the Scots, Scots-Irish and the orthodox descendants of New England Puritans who, moving west, sought doctrinal stability in the hierarchical structures of Presbyterianism. Scotiana (Stuart) and early and eastern American history (Chicago Historical Society, transferred 1980s).
Chicago’s-empire history: railroads (Elliot Donnelley, Munson Paddock, James Sloss, Arthur D. Dubin [ASTP ‘47]); slavery conflict and Civil War (Nebenzahl, Getz and others); the press/Chicago Tribune (J.M. Patterson, J. Howard Wood [Class of 1922]); exploration and westward expansion (Halsey, Getz, O’Kieffe, Bent and others).
Lake Forest and Lake County history: atlases, histories, manuscript collections, photographs, architectural and landscape drawings and blueprints (Getz, Shaw, Barnes, Holt, McClure, McCormick, Anderson, Paddock, Arpee, and other families).
Chicago Renaissance: books, manuscripts, photographs on literature (Patterson, Hamill, O’Kieffe, Chatfield-Taylor); theater (Patterson, Aldis, Shaw, Leverton); art and architecture (Hamill, Asmann, Shaw, Templeton, Weber. Lake Forest Library; gardens (Lake Forest Garden Club, Hamill); history (Hamill, O’Kieffe, Stuart, Graff, Smith, Halsey); and historic/fine printing (Hamill, Donnelley, Templeton, Davidson).
Contemporary since 1960: Women’s studies (Northwestern U., Lloyd) ; social issues (Lloyd, Brown); Africa and African-American (Mojekwu, purchases on the Rosenthal Fund); historic preservation (Geary); Lake County (Getz, Geary, Paddock); world railroads and rail travel (Dubin, Sloss); world travel (Brown, Dubin, Laflin, Weeks).
Development and conservation for special collections is supported by George R Beach, Everett D. Graff (Class of 1907), and the Martin Rosenthal Memorial Library Funds. Donations and modest purchases relate integrally to the Collections listed above; occasional, more significant donations and purchases tend to dramatically relate and pull together aspects of the collection.
Catalog access for the book collections and the J.M. Patterson Papers is available on OCLC and the Library’s online catalog. A detailed finding aid for the 170,000-leaved Patterson papers is available on request and other formal and informal finding aids are available for many other manuscripts and non-book collections.
Some major archival publications (catalogs, yearbooks) and special collections books are accessible in the Special Collections reading room of Donnelley and Lee Library, Sunday through Thursday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and by pre-arranged appointment, at (847) 735-5064. Access to other special collections is by arrangement/prior-appointment with the Archivist and Librarian for Special Collections, at (847)735-5064. The College’s Stentor newspaper (1887 to the 1990’s) is available in the Microforms Reading Room; more recent issues can be seen in Special Collections.
Prepared by
Arthur Miller,
Archivist and Librarian for Special Collections
LIT, Lake Forest College,
555 North Sheridan Rd.
Lake Forest, IL 60045-2399
August 9, 2008