Gala raises money for Hatch Room relocation
Hidden away within Special Collections in the Merrill Library is the Hatch Room, full of artifacts, furniture and books centuries old.
And, although many students and faculty have never seen this room, that will change soon.
The new library, set to open in fall 2005, will soon be the new home for the Hatch Room. Kent Clark, library development director, said the when the Hatch Room is relocated, it will be in a location for all to see, including a window from the outside.
“It’s not going to sequestered away; it’s going to be right in the middle of everything,” Clark said.
However, he said moving the artifacts from the Hatch Room will be a difficult procedure.
“We’re trying to raise money, because we’re building a new library, but we have much more to do in terms of moving the Hatch Room and also just generally the preservation and conservation of rare books and artifacts that the library owns,” he said.
To aid the project, the Hatch Room Holiday Gala, a black tie reception and dinner, took place Friday night in the Taggart Student Center Sunburst lounge.
The evening included a 17th century style feast, silent auction and horse drawn carriage rides from the TSC to the Merrill Library where guests took tours of the Hatch Room.
Guests at the Gala purchased seats at a table for $100, or a table for $1,000 for the evening. Along with the silent auction, the event raised more than $14,000.
Noted guests included USU President Kermit L. Hall, who also gave remarks, Utah State Sen. Lyle Hillyard and Utah House Representative Fred Hunsaker.
During Hall’s remarks, he said in order for USU to become more academically recognized, it’s not about what happens on the playing field, but “it has everything to do with what will happen in our libraries.”
The Hatch Room, or more specifically, the Hatch Memorial Library Room, was given to USU by Utah natives L. Boyd and Anne McQuarrie Hatch in 1953.
The room includes book collections on architecture, religion, art history, gardening and more dating from 15th to 19th centuries. The room holds a leaf from one of the original Gutenburg Bibles, the first printed book in western history.
The room boasts a 16th century decor with English oak linen-fold paneling and bookshelves, Italian and Flemish decorative art, furniture and more. On one side of the room is a fireplace dating back to 1664.
“When you walk into that room, you walk way back in time,” Clark said.
He said he is looking forward when the room relocates to the new library.
“I just think it’s exiting to have a room from that era in the very heart of a building that stands as the stepping stone to the 21st century and beyond,” he said.
Norm Jones, head of the department of history, said he and his students have used the Hatch Room for many projects.
“It’s our laboratory,” he said. “The Hatch Room and the Special Collections contain the raw material for doing history.”
For the silent gift auction, guests could bid for a picture or print of items displayed in the Sunburst Lounge. Items displayed included the Gutenburg Bible leaf and a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon.
For anyone interested in viewing the Hatch Room, inquire at the Special Collections’ reference desk.
-joelfeathers@cc.usu.edu
Hatch room tours were given in the Hatch Room in the Merrill Library as part of Friday night´s Hatch Room holiday Gala. Dinner and a silent fundraising auction were held in the TSC Sunburst Lounge. (Photo by Jamie Crane)
At The Gala´s Silent Auction, the highest bidder received a picture of the item, while proceeds will help relocate Hatch Room items and artifacts to the new library. (Photo by Jamie Crane)
Tours were given inside the Hatch Room in the Merrill Library within the Special Collections Friday night as part of the Holiday Gala. (Photo by Jamie Crane)