NELLE KRISE was a professor of English at West Liberty. She was fond of the origins of the written word, and she often taught that you only have what you give away. Upon her passing, Krise donated her rare book collection and materials. THE NELLE KRISE RARE BOOK ROOM was established to house her generous donation.
A few interesting articles of note would be the:
- Babylonian clay tablet (2500 BC)
- Egyptian papyrus (30 BC),
- Chinese rice paper (1000 AD).
The darling of the collection is the Dutch Book of Hours from 1460 with its illumination and detailed illustrations.
If illustrations are of interest, there are several antique children’s books from several renowned illustrators, including Arthur Rackham illustrated books. The topics of these books ranges from Shakespeare to fairy tales.
While the relics are under protection of lock and key, the room is, in fact, open to the public. Students who are interested in viewing these materials can contact the librarian at the reference desk Monday through Friday, 8:00 – 4:00.