The Library The Library and its and its

TreasuresTreasures

Building History

1884-1911Texas Collection

Texas History Collection/Barker Texas History Center

1911-1934 ,1950-1971

Texas Collection1934-1950

1971- PresentBriscoe Center

for American History

Library at a Glance200,000 items

•books

•ephemera

Concentrations

• Texas History

• Western Americana

•pamphlets

•Magazines

•Antebellum South

• University publications

FOUNDING COLLECTIONS

•Swante Palm

•Ashbel Smith

•Littlefield Fund for Southern History

The London Times, Texas Supplement.March 31st, 1925.

Major Collections

•Frank Kell Collection of Rocky Mountain West

•Vandale Collection of Western Americana

•Beadle Dime Novels

•Eberstadt Western Americana Collection

•University of Texas Publications

•Frank Caldwell Collection of Texana

•Natchez Trace Periodical Collection

PRESERVATION

Phase box for fragile books

Envelope and binder for

pamphlets

Acidic newspaper with rubber cement

Building the Collection

• Donations

• Purchase/Donation of existing collections

• New purchase

• Archives Transfers

Free Lee Otis, Volume 1, Issue 1. September 1969.

La Relacion, 1555Cabeza de Vaca

•First published in 1542

•His report, transcribed after his return to Spain

•First book about ‘Texas’

•Our oldest book

Natchez Trace Periodicals

•Hundreds of periodicals and pamphlets documenting life in the lower Mississippi River Valley

•Span through late 17th century to 20th century.

•Fragile and varying sizes

L’Heroine, 1819.Author unknown.

•First known mention of Texas as backdrop

•Novel about traveling Texas and Louisiana

•Fictional account based on fact

Beadle Dime Novels

•Ephemera-like quality

•Fragile, no patron access to original copies

•Like NTC collection, they follow the social interests of the time

Translations of Laws, Orders, and Contracts

Stephen F. Austin•First book published in Texas with more than 12 pages

•Discusses first Anglo-American settlement in Texas

•Briscoe Center copy owned by James F. Perry, husband of Emily Austin Bryan Perry

The End

Questions?

Things to Bring

• Texas Supplement

• Ranger of Commerce

• L’Heroine

• La Relacion

• Trivia game

• SFA book