The second phase of the library’s renovation wrapped up during Christmas break, and in January, Sandor Teszler Library staff began moving collections into a new archives and special collections suite.
Ideally, an archives and special collections area has ample space for researchers to examine materials, for staff to perform the processing work to make collections ready for use and for safe, secure, climate-controlled storage of permanently valuable materials. For the past 50 years, however, Wofford’s college and the state’s United Methodist archives have been in one, small room. Researchers often had to sit in the middle of stacks of books, folders and boxes. When a class visited, some students had to stand or sit on the floor. Materials that had not been processes would be shuffled from table to corner to desk and back again to make room. Also, with the growth of Wofford’s special collections, the college’s archives and special collections were forced to operate out of separate spaces in the library, which made keeping up with the collections harder.
The new archives and special collections suite has a dedicated reading room with space for a class of 24 students to view materials or artifacts or simply learn about Wofford and Methodist history. Now researchers do not have to share space with staff. The closed, climate-controlled stacks have room for all of the college’s archives and the Methodist collection, as well as other valuable books, manuscripts and personal paper collections. A separate workroom will allow archives and special collections staff to arrange and describe materials and make them ready for future researchers to use.
Two Interim classes have already met in the new special collections reading room, and it was especially nice for staff not to have to clean off tables or move boxes and books around to make room for student researchers. The college’s collection of unique materials is now in a safer space with room to grow. The plan is to have all collections moved into their new home by spring break.
By Dr. Phillip Stone ’94
College archivist