by Shannon Kupfer, State Library of Ohio

In late 2007, State Library staff embarked upon a project to organize and inventory the approximately 7,000 titles held in the Rare Book Room.  This involved performing a shelf read and inventory, stabilizing fragile items, and cataloging the 700 unique titles residing in the Rare Book Room but not yet entered into the library’s catalog.  The project was completed on schedule in June 2008.

With such a large number of titles newly entered into the catalog, it is no surprise that many fascinating items were discovered as the project proceeded.  For example, a copy of Poe’s The Raven, published in 1884 and illustrated by Gustav Doré, was found and added to the catalog.   Two copies of Samuel Johnson’s two-volume, 1784 publication of A Dictionary of the English Language were also added to the catalog, as wereseveral wonderful atlases, some dating to the 17th century, and hundreds of other publications, many of them centuries-old.

Also exciting for library staff was the discovery of a number of manuscript items.  One interesting find was a ledger kept by Zachariah Mills, who served as State Librarian of Ohio from 1824-1842.  From 1838-1844, Mr. Mills kept a record of the weather conditions in Columbus, including the temperature, wind direction, and his personal observations.  Occasionally he would include additional notes, such as this comment from December 11, 1839: “Snow fell this morning to the depth of about 3 inches; sleighs in the street for the first time this winter.”  A number of 19th-century autograph books were also found in the Rare Book Room, one being a book of autographs of Federal soldiers held in Portsmouth, Virginia, during the Civil War.  It contains not only signatures but pencil sketches of the surrounding area and even handwritten music and lyrics to a song entitled “Tattoo.”

Perhaps the most thrilling find in the Rare Book Room was a collection of ledgers from the 1876 International Exhibition in Philadelphia.  At this celebration of the centennial of the United States, each state had its own building in which were displayed products of the state.  Ohio, too, had its own building, and visitors were encouraged to sign ledgers with their name and city of origin.  At the conclusion of the exhibition the ledgers were given a permanent home at the State Library of Ohio.  Signers included Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, William Tecumseh Sherman, and a 20-year-old William Howard Taft.  Though documentation states that three volumes were delivered to the State Library, staff discovered a fourth volume during the project.  The volumes are filled with countless signatures of Ohioans, making this an extraordinary resource for researchers of all types.

We are very proud of our Rare Book Room and hope that visitors to the State Library will make use of the materials held there.