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Sustaining Trent's Library: Group makes special purchases
For
almost 25 years an organization at Trent has been hard at work securing
the purchase of books and resources for the Bata Library.
The Friends of the Bata Library, with approximately 70 members, is responsible for purchasing many valuable resources for Trent collections. Examples include an 1823 map of Upper Canada, one of the province’s most important early maps, and complete volumes of the Literary Garland, the major Canadian literary magazine of the early 19th century. As well, the group has played a key role in Trent’s participation in the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions, an institute that sprang out of a report entitled To Know Ourselves, written by founding Trent President Tom Symons. The institute’s goal is to gather material about Canada, and Trent is one of only two small universities that has found the funds to purchase the entire series.
The Trent group’s mandate is to cultivate interest in all aspects of the Bata Library and its resources. Founded in 1978, the Friends raise funds for special library purchases and library needs. Some of those funds are raised through membership fees, and other monies are raised through the group’s fundraising dinner in May. Guest speakers at the annual dinner have included the late Peter Gzowski, author and biographer Charlotte Gray and poet George Elliot Clark (runner-up of last year’s CBC Canada Reads competition for his book Whylah Falls).
As well, the Friends holds a variety of talks throughout the year, featuring a range of knowledgeable scholars and authors.
"The quality of our speakers is very high, and I think anything that brings the town and the University together is positive," says Prof. Michael Peterman, chair of the Friends of the Bata Library. He adds: "Most recently we have started to look for books about the history of nursing in Ontario, as a resouce for the nursing program."
"The Friends have been of inestimable help over the years in acquiring historical library and archival materials. They have located and purchased - and personally donated from their own libraries - materials ranging from 19th-century Traill and Moodie editions to a very fine run of the Canadian Agriculturalist and Beekeeper, a periodical published locally," says University Archivist Bernadine Dodge, adding that community involvement in the group has been a key element in its success over the years.
Friends of the Bata Library memberships start at $10. For more information about the group, or to become a member, contact Professor Michael Peterman at mpeterman@trentu.ca or Janice Millard at jmillard@trentu.ca.
Photo: Trent University Archivist Bernadine Dodge has been a member of the Friends of the Bata Library for many years. In this photo she holds a copy of a hand-bound book called Twelve Bindings, by local bookbinder Michael Wilcox. This limited edition book was purchased for the library's special collections by the Friends.
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