Yes. You guessed it. I have a special collection of teddy bears that I whipped out to decorate our apartment with in honor of V-Day this weekend...
...Ok, kidding. :)
The Harold B. Lee Library on BYU's campus has an incredible selection referred to as the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, located on the first floor. I've spent a lot of time in the library over my four semesters at BYU; it is a beautiful place and easily my favorite building on campus. It is consistently ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top 5 collegiate libraries in America, and that's not hard for me to believe. The library has always provided an abundance of resources for me, on a range of topics (we're talkin' anywhere from the Buddha, to same-sex marriage, to Idaho topography in the 1800's, and so on and so forth...).
I first visited the Special Collections only last semester~ I went to look at the transcript from an oral interview conducted of my great-great grandfather, George Tilton Hyde. It was there, at that time, that I gained my deep respect and appreciation for the Special Collections unit of our library. As I read over my Grandfather's words, feelings of love and empowerment washed over me; I felt grateful to the library for taking the time to preserve something so special, and even sacred, to my family. The collection features many ancient, fragile, and authentic records. Major work goes into preserving these records, and students/faculty/etc. are not authorized, under just about any circumstances, to remove any items from the collection. When our D&C class went to visit the Special Collections last week, special care was made to not soil or harm any of the showcased books in any way (usually only gloved personnel are authorized to touch ancient records).
Record-keeping was crucial in the early years of the church. But really, record keeping has always been essential to the building of God's kingdom. As I have been reading The Joseph Smith Papers, I have been absolutely astonished at the great lengths Joseph went to to keep accurate and detailed records of the revelations he received, as well as of what he chose to do about those revelations. This applies to the Book of Mormon, as well as to the Bible-- where would we be if prophets and other men of God had not kept those records? I'm grateful they did, and when I ponder this, I realize just how important it is for me to keep my own records. In some areas, I'm not the greatest (so far, financial record-keeping is not my strength; I had better improve that ASAP). But in others, such as blogging (hee hee), letter-writing, and journal-writing, I'm doing all right. When I read the histories of my ancestors, I feel the spirit and I feel a sense of belonging. I feel truth. The same goes for when I read the Doctrine & Covenants. I know that this book is revelation from God, translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Although his language was not flawless, he did dictate the Lord's message as accurately as possible using the English language in the 1830's. The book is true, and is a reminder of the need for each of us to keep accurate records.
...Ok, kidding. :)
The Harold B. Lee Library on BYU's campus has an incredible selection referred to as the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, located on the first floor. I've spent a lot of time in the library over my four semesters at BYU; it is a beautiful place and easily my favorite building on campus. It is consistently ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top 5 collegiate libraries in America, and that's not hard for me to believe. The library has always provided an abundance of resources for me, on a range of topics (we're talkin' anywhere from the Buddha, to same-sex marriage, to Idaho topography in the 1800's, and so on and so forth...).
I first visited the Special Collections only last semester~ I went to look at the transcript from an oral interview conducted of my great-great grandfather, George Tilton Hyde. It was there, at that time, that I gained my deep respect and appreciation for the Special Collections unit of our library. As I read over my Grandfather's words, feelings of love and empowerment washed over me; I felt grateful to the library for taking the time to preserve something so special, and even sacred, to my family. The collection features many ancient, fragile, and authentic records. Major work goes into preserving these records, and students/faculty/etc. are not authorized, under just about any circumstances, to remove any items from the collection. When our D&C class went to visit the Special Collections last week, special care was made to not soil or harm any of the showcased books in any way (usually only gloved personnel are authorized to touch ancient records).
Record-keeping was crucial in the early years of the church. But really, record keeping has always been essential to the building of God's kingdom. As I have been reading The Joseph Smith Papers, I have been absolutely astonished at the great lengths Joseph went to to keep accurate and detailed records of the revelations he received, as well as of what he chose to do about those revelations. This applies to the Book of Mormon, as well as to the Bible-- where would we be if prophets and other men of God had not kept those records? I'm grateful they did, and when I ponder this, I realize just how important it is for me to keep my own records. In some areas, I'm not the greatest (so far, financial record-keeping is not my strength; I had better improve that ASAP). But in others, such as blogging (hee hee), letter-writing, and journal-writing, I'm doing all right. When I read the histories of my ancestors, I feel the spirit and I feel a sense of belonging. I feel truth. The same goes for when I read the Doctrine & Covenants. I know that this book is revelation from God, translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Although his language was not flawless, he did dictate the Lord's message as accurately as possible using the English language in the 1830's. The book is true, and is a reminder of the need for each of us to keep accurate records.
1 comment:
Ashley, I really love the way you creatively introduce your topic. Sometimes I don't give the "special collections" in my life, enough attention. Thanks for getting me thinking. :)
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