![\"Title](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Gingerbread-Man-650x488.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/By-Space-Ship-to-the-Moon-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Little](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Little-Bear-1-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tThe Children\u2019s Historical Collection first began in 1935 as part of the Western History Collection, which was established by local head librarian Malcolm Glenn Wyer at the suggestion of his friend, author Willa Cather.\u00a0 At some point in time, all materials for children were pulled from the rest of the collection and sent to the Children\u2019s Department where the collection languished.\u00a0 Martha Bennett King was the biggest donor of materials to the \u201cJuvenile Historical Collection\u201d, but the library also kept all items donated by Eleanor Gehres and Bessie E. Miller unless significantly damaged. About four years ago, Hartman was assigned to organize the reference portion of the collection; she has been working diligently on it ever since. \u00a0(The circulating portion of the Children\u2019s Historical Collection is curated by another librarian.) The Children\u2019s Historical Collection Development Policy can be found here: \u00a0https:\/\/docs.google.com\/ Over one-third of the Children\u2019s Historical Collection: Reference (about 1,000 items) are now entered in the online catalog and available for the public to use in-house; they must be requested to view in the Children\u2019s Room.\u00a0 It was amazing to walk in the upper level of the basement (affectionately known as the \u201cLowers\u201d) and view the scope of the collection. Historical items are arranged on shelving by category: fiction, beginning readers, nonfiction, picture books, tiny and oversize books.\u00a0 We saw shelves with history books (one book dated from 1809), books filled with folklore, books by authors from Colorado, books about or set in \u00a0Colorado, \u00a0and children\u2019s textbooks such as McGuffey Readers. The circulating historical collection is stored on separate ranges of shelving nearby in a closed stack area, however these are generally duplicate copies of books that are out of print (most are award winners and honor books, books with Colorado connections) and last system copies.<\/p>\n Our tour also took us up to the fifth floor where the Western History Collection is stored. We were pleasantly surprised to see handwritten letters from two popular children\u2019s authors who responded to a query solicited by Children\u2019s Librarian Katherine Williams Watson (from a collection of these type letters): Beatrix Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder.\u00a0 Each reacted to a list of books, noting their \u201cGirlhood Favorites\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0Beatrix Potter\u2019s favorite books on the list were Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Black Beauty, Grimm\u2019s Fairy Tales, Ivanhoe, Last of the Mohicans, Little Lame Prince, Little Women, Water Babies, Wonderbook and Tanglewood Tales. \u00a0Potter remarked that Jackanapes, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Treasure Island and Uncle Remus \u201cwere not written when I was a child \u2013 I enjoyed them later.\u201d \u00a0Laura Ingalls Wilder\u2019s list was much shorter: \u00a0Lorna Doone and Uncle Tom\u2019s Cabin.\u00a0 Just before leaving, we took a group photo at \u201cThe Derrick\u201d, a massive wooden structure that dominates one room on the fifth floor (its proper name is \u201cSpirit of the West\u201d), thanked our hosts and headed to our meeting.<\/p>\n The Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee consists of eight members and chair.\u00a0 It is currently comprised of representatives from academia, public and school libraries and special collections from throughout the country.\u00a0 The Committee\u2019s charge is: To facilitate access to special collections, to encourage the creation of new collections, and to strengthen existing collections. To explore and suggest ways in which special collections can be used locally, nationally, and internationally with children, families, and the people who serve them.\u00a0 To administer annually the Bechtel fellowship to up to three \u00a0librarians to read and study at the Baldwin Library of the George A. Smathers libraries, University of Florida, for a period of at least one month.\u00a0 The committee meets both virtually and in person.\u00a0 For more information please see: http:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Entretiens-Drames-et-Contes-Moraux-2-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Entretiens-inside-650x488.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-City-Park-reproduction-book-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Beatrix](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Beatrix-Potter-List.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"IPA](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Peter-Rabbit-cover-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"IPA](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Peter-Rabbit-inside-650x488.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Laura](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Wilder-Letter-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Checklist](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Wilder-List-488x650.jpg\")
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Bechtel-Committee-pose-undr-the-Derrick-650x488.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"informational](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-Derrick1-488x650.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Rachel-Payne1-1.jpg\")
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