The dedication for the William S. Carlson Library on November 16, 1973, included an exhibit of “rare and antique written materials” curated by the University Library’s rare books, archives and special collections department. These materials had been collected since the founding of the library in 1917, but a department hadn’t been formally established until 1966 and after the move to Carlson Library in 1973, it inhabited the fifth floor, a “splendor of Gothic styling and rich, dark woods” contrasting with the rest of the contemporary library. Until 1979, the department appeared to students as imposing, a “private club” that, in addition to the Gothic furniture, sported black iron gates and signs proclaiming it not a public space. Then, through an endowment, the department was enlarged, expanded and transformed into a center for the research of rare books and special collections. It was named for Willys-Overland CEO and long-time president of the Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, Ward M. Canaday. Part of this expansion led to an increase in the collection of rare books and the development of a large exhibit area, enabling staff to continue displaying those rare and antique materials as they did when the new library was dedicated 50 years ago, and as they are today.
This selection of rare books makes up only a fraction of the 32,000 titles housed at the Canaday Center. Included is the first book ever acquired by the University Libraries as well as the one millionth volume added to the collection during the library dedication.
“Old books, as you well know, are books for the world’s youth, and new books are the fruits of its age.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Exhibits
Rare Books, Archives and Special Collections
This four-part exhibit presents on the history and collections of the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections.
Part 1. History, collections, and exhibits at the Canaday Center
Skip to: Middle Shelf Bottom Shelf
Top Shelf: A special department (1972-1979).
When Carlson Library opened, the department of archives, special collections, and rare books moved into the new building’s fifth floor. The move included the Collegiate Gothic-style furniture originally designed for the library in University Hall in 1931 by McLaughlin-Stevens Company, with some pieces crane-hoisted up to and through windows. The department serves as home to the University Archives, manuscripts collections, and rare books. In 1979, the department was expanded and renamed the Ward M. Canaday Center.
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Middle Shelf: A Special Department (continued)
Bottom Shelf: Exhibitions (1983-2019)
In addition to providing access to historical records for research, the Canaday Center reaches out to the public through an exhibition program featuring aspects of their collections, from University Archives to rare books. These exhibits educate the public on the Center’s holdings as well as provide an up close and personal look at one-of-a-kind items.
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Part 2: The Written Word: Books about Books, The Good Book, The First Book, The Millionth Book
Part 1 Part 2 (below) Part 3 Part 4
The First Book (first accession to the University Libraries in 1917).
1) Kaiser, John Boynton. 1914. Law, Legislative and Municipal Reference Libraries: An Introductory Manual and Bibliographical Guide. Boston Book Company.
Books About Books
2) The History of King Leir. 1908. Malone Society Reprints. Printed for the Malone Society by H. Hart at the Oxford University Press.
3) Dewey, Melvil. 1927. Decimal Classification and Relative Index for Libraries and Person Use in Arranging for Immediate Reference Books, Pamflets, Clippings, Pictures, Manuscript Notes and Other Material. Ed. 12., And enl.; Semi-Centennial ed. Forest Press.
4) Winship, George Parker. 1929. The First American Bible: A Leaf From a Copy of the Bible Translated into the Indian Language by John Eliot and Printed at Cambridge in New England in the Year 1663; with an Account of the Translator and His Labors, and of the Two Printers Who Produced the Book. Printed by D.B. Updike at the Merrymount Press for C.E. Goodspeed and Company.
5) Ethiopic New Testament. 1927. Printed by Billing and Son.
The Millionth Book (one millionth volume acquired by the University Libraries, donated by Harold Munger upon the occasion of the Carlson Library dedication on November 16, 1973.
6) Forsyth, George H., and Kurt Weitzman. 1973. The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai: The Church and Fortress of Justinian. University of Michigan Press.
Part 3: Our Friends, The Economy of Language, Special Collections in the Special Collections
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (below) Part 4
Top Shelf: Our Friends: Books Published by the Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries
1) Pound, Ezra, 1916. Plays modelled on the Noh. Toledo, Ohio: Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1987
2) Stock, Noel. 1976 Ezra Pound's Pennsylvania : compiled for the most part from Mr. Carl Gatter's researches into original sources and documents. Toledo, Ohio: Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1976
3) Sayers, Dorothy L. 1977. Wilkie Collins : a critical and biographical study. Edited from the manuscript, Humanities Research Center, Austin, Texas, by E. R. Gregory. Toledo, Ohio: The Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1977
4) Bass, Robert E. 1991. Some features of organization in nature : a contribution to unified science. Toledo, Ohio: Adamson Print. Co., 1991
Middle Shelf: The Economy of Language: Imagist Poets
5) Pound, Ezra, 1964. Cantos I-XXX. Zürich: Verlag der Arche
6) Howells, William Dean. 1884? Niagara revisited. Chicago: D. Dalziel, 1884?
7) Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns). 1939. Old Possum's book of practical cats. London: Faber and Faber
Bottom Shelf: Special Collections in the Special Collections: Other genres at the Canaday Center
8) Joyce, James, c1916. A portrait of the artist as a young man. London: Egoist, [1918], c1916
9) Thoreau, Henry David c1962 Thoreau : Walden and other writings. New York: Bantam Books, 1971, c1962
10) Faulkner, William, c1924.The Marble Faun. Boston: The Four Seas, [c1924]
11) Welty, Eudora. 1944. The Robber Bridegroom. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1944
1) Pound, Ezra, 1916. Plays modelled on the Noh. Toledo, Ohio: Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1987; 2) Stock, Noel. 1976 Ezra Pound's Pennsylvania : compiled for the most part from Mr. Carl Gatter's researches into original sources and documents. Toledo, Ohio: Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1976; 3) Sayers, Dorothy L. 1977. Wilkie Collins : a critical and biographical study. Edited from the manuscript, Humanities Research Center, Austin, Texas, by E. R. Gregory. Toledo, Ohio: The Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1977; 4) Bass, Robert E. 1991. Some features of organization in nature : a contribution to unified science. Toledo, Ohio: Adamson Print. Co., 1991
5) Pound, Ezra, 1964. Cantos I-XXX. Zürich: Verlag der Arche; 6) Howells, William Dean. 1884? Niagara revisited. Chicago: D. Dalziel; 7) Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns). 1939. Old Possum's book of practical cats. London: Faber and Faber
8) Joyce, James, c1916. A portrait of the artist as a young man. London: Egoist, [1918], c1916
9) Thoreau, Henry David c1962 Thoreau : Walden and other writings. New York: Bantam Books, 1971, c1962; 10) Faulkner, William, c1924.The Marble Faun. Boston: The Four Seas, [c1924]; 11) Welty, Eudora. 1944. The Robber Bridegroom. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1944
Top and Middle Shelves: To Write Most Inclusively: Black Authors and Poets
1) Hughes, Langston, 1951. Montage of a dream deferred. New York : Holt, [1951]
2) Hurston, Zora Neale. 1937 Their Eyes Were Watching God. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott co., c1937
3) Baldwin, James. 1974. If Beale Street Could Talk. London : Michael Joseph, 1974
4) Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1969. Cantos I-XXX. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1970, 1969
5) Ellison, Ralph. 1884? The Invisible Man. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library, 1980, c1952
6) Taylor, Mildred D. Taylor, 1978. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York : Bantam Books, 1978, c1976
Bottom Shelf: Shaping the Way We Read: The Classics
8) Steinbeck, John, 1937. Of Mice and Men. New York: Covici Friede, 1937. First edition
9) Chopin, Kate, 1899 The Awakening. Chicago; New York: H.S. Stone & Co., 1899
10) Williams, Tennessee, c1924.The glass menagerie: a play. New York: Random House, 1945
1) Hughes, Langston, 1951. Montage of a dream deferred. New York : Holt, [1951]; 2) Hurston, Zora Neale. 1937. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott co., c1937; 3) Baldwin, James. 1974. If Beale Street Could Talk. London : Michael Joseph, 1974
4) Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1969. Cantos I-XXX. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1970, 1969; 5) Ellison, Ralph. 1884? The Invisible Man. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library, 1980, c1952; 6) Taylor, Mildred D. Taylor, 1978. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York : Bantam Books, 1978, c1976"
8) Steinbeck, John, 1937. Of Mice and Men. New York: Covici Friede, 1937. First edition; 9) Chopin, Kate, 1899 The Awakening. Chicago; New York: H.S. Stone & Co., 1899; 10) Williams, Tennessee, c1924.The glass menagerie: a play. New York: Random House, 1945.
Contact
Request Appointment
The Center welcomes researchers by appointment only.
We accept appointments Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Phone
419-530-4480
Virtual exhibition inquiries:
419-530-4497
CanadayCenter@utoledo.edu
Virtual exhibition inquiries:
Arjun.Sabharwal@utoledo.edu
