USU’s Special Collections houses artifacts from the 15th century
Take a step back in time by stepping into the Merrill Library.
It’s not the Quad Side Café or the government documents. It’s not the fourth-floor computer lab or circulation desk. It is the unseen cage, the secret vault, the old morgue, the forgotten cloak room and the fallout shelters.
Hidden next to, inside, surrounding and below what most students know as the Merrill Library, is a concealed library that most have never heard of, let alone have seen.
“The Merrill Library is a mis-mash of angles and rooms and doors,” said Daniel Davis, photo archivist for Utah State University.
The public is allowed into some parts of the special collections section of the Merrill Library, but other areas are for staff members only.
It all started back in 1930, when the original Merrill Library was constructed. About 30 years later, another division was added on. The classroom addition was added on in 1967, said Theresa Hepker, a member of the library staff.
The older portion of the Merrill Library is now closed off and contains a majority of the older books and documents.
The inaccessible part of the library contains a vault with manuscripts and university archives.
These include books that date back to the 1460s. There are rare valuables such as an 1837 bank note signed by LDS church leader Joseph Smith and a “Call of the Wild” novel signed by Jack London from 1903. There is a first-edition copy of “The Book of Mormon.” All of these valuables are locked away in the vault in a corner of the Merrill Library because of their rarity and delicacy.
The Merrill Library basement was used as a fallout shelter during the Cold-War era. According to information from the library, people would go there in case of a nuclear bomb threat or during other emergencies. Now the library’s basement consists of caged books and special collections materials stored to protect them from possible tampering.
While there are areas off limits to the public, there is a variety of displays that are available.
One of the most valuable exhibits in the Merrill Library is the Hatch Memorial Library Room, which officially opened Oct. 30, 1953. This room consists of items from the 15th century.
“The furnishings for this room were purchased by the Hatch family for their library. They donated the furnishings of their library to USU,” said Rose Milovich, curator for arts and books.
Two of the items contained in this room are a fireplace made in 1664 and a faldistorium, or folding chair, from the 1400s, according to library information.
This library is part of the old library, and the new additions were built around it. This is accessible to the public, but visitors are encouraged to wash their hands or wear gloves before entering the exhibit to preserve the value of the displays and books.
With the construction of the new Merrill Library, the archives and special collections will be carefully moved to the new building. Although this new library will have a cooling system for old-photograph storage and a more organized interior structure, it will be lacking in authenticity and history of the distinctive building that has been a part of USU from the beginning, Davis said.
“This place has an old feeling, with the passageways and the books crammed on the shelves,” said Davis, referring to the current Merrill Library. “When you think of archives, you think of a place like this.”
-syllee@cc.usu.edu
Over the years, items like these horns have collected, waiting to be catalogued and put in their proper place. Most of the pieces in the collection are donated, but several thousand dollars are spent each year purchasing items.
‘The Cage’ is a storage area in the basement of the Merrill Library. Periodicals dated before 1960, thesis papers and tenure advancement records are some of the things locked inside. (Photos by Scott Davis)