About a dozen APS StampShow attendees got a peek at the collections of the Watkinson Library at Trinity College while they were in Hartford, Conn.
The Watkinson Library is a public research library and also houses the rare books and special collections of the Trinity College Library. Its holdings date from the 15th century to the present.
Curator Richard Ring gave us a tour of the library, including an exhibition of artists’ books and the library’s copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America. He then took the group into the library’s Audubon Room, where we got to see items from the collection, including a cuneiform tablet, an illuminated manuscript, and leaves from a Gutenberg Bible, among other treasures.
Ring also explained to the group how he uses rare books in teaching Trinity College undergraduates and how he sparks interest in the collections through special events at the library. We bibliophiles enjoyed a little diversion from all things philatelic—and then it was back to the stamp show!
Excellent to see other hobby collections being appreciated. Speaking of Trinity College, have you had the pleasure of visiting the Trinity College in Dublin? The historical collections there are unmatched.
No, but that would be a librarian’s dream. Maybe someday they’ll send me to a stamp show in Ireland!
Watinkson library is a good place for anyone who are interested in rare books. The library is very well maintained and looking the experience you had over there, I would really like to visit it again, specially for stamps.