It's been 40 years since Weber State University's Special Collections was started with a gift of rare books. Now it's a treasure trove of more than 40,000 books, plus 370 manuscript collections and 160 photo collections. Many of the items document the history of Davis and Weber counties.
To celebrate the collection's 40th anniversary, the library is showing images and artifacts that haven't been seen in years. "Treasures Brought to Light" opens on the top floor of Weber State's Stewart Library, with a reception at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Hetzel-Hoellein Room. The exhibit is open during regular library hours, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 30. A few items may only be seen in Special Collections, which is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free.
"This is the largest exhibit we've ever done. There will be approximately 200 photographs, and probably another 200 to 300 artifacts," said Sarah Langsdon, associate curator of Special Collections. "We'll probably have four or five scrapbooks out, and allow people to flip through them, so they're not looking at everything through glass or at pictures on walls."
Library visitors can browse through a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about locals serving in World War I, or look for the names of family members in the index. There will also be a scrapbook about the founding of the Ski Patrol at Snowbasin.
An evidence book from one of Ogden's famous extortion cases of the early 1900s will also be on display, as well as an old whiskey crock.
-- Becky Wright
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