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Marian Library: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future

By Maureen Schlangen, E-scholarship and communications manager

On the University of Dayton campus, the 75th anniversary of the Marian Library has been a highly visible — and sometimes highly audible — celebration. Banners announce it on the Kennedy Union Plaza. Exhibits in the Roesch Library proclaimed the Marian Library’s milestones, highlights, treasured acquisitions and points of pride. A packed concert in January by the acclaimed medieval music ensemble Eya featured a new program titled Regina, inspired by Marian Library’s mission to make the Blessed Virgin better known, loved and served. And a second 75th anniversary concert, set for Thursday, Oct. 18, will feature the Marian Consort, a young, dynamic and internationally renowned early music vocal ensemble (free admission; tickets required; details here).

Less apparent, however, is the unsung, meticulous and cerebral work the librarians, staff and volunteers do in the Marian Library to make the Blessed Mother better known, loved and served, says Sarah Burke Cahalan, associate professor and director of the Marian Library.

“A lot of what we do is under the radar,” says Cahalan, who oversees the Marian Library’s collection development, reference, outreach, preservation, and access. “People know that UD has the world's largest dedicated collection of printed materials on the Virgin Mary. A lot of people know about the crèche collection and the rosaries, holy cards and stamps. We work with the UD community on classes, exhibits and other programming. But we also are responsible for stewarding these collections so they can be used in the future. We have a wonderful collection of rare and very old books, some dating to the 15th century, and as time goes by, they become more and more fragile.”

Despite employing new methods of controlling temperature, light, moisture and other things that can degrade physical materials, they are deteriorating, she says.

“As we’ve reflected this year on the first 75 years — establishing the library, building the collections and becoming a world-renowned resource on the study of Mary — we’re now expanding our focus to give serious attention to conservation and preservation of rare books and artwork.”

It’s a daunting and expensive task, she says; the library has about 250 books and numerous artworks and archival materials in need of professional conservation. While such treasures can be — and often are — photographed and digitized to expand their availability for study and devotion, the originals can’t be replaced. In some cases, the Marian Library has the only known copy or one of only a few in the world.

“The library is dedicated to providing online access to as much of this material as possible, with an understanding of its value both to scholars and to the general population,” Cahalan says. “But when you see these works up close, it’s easy to understand why there is truly no substitute for the original — and why it’s so important for us to ensure the protection of these works for people to use for centuries to come.”

CONTINUE THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

For tickets to the Oct. 18 Marian Consort concert and reception, contact the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-2545 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday or between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday.

PLAN A VISIT

To view the Marian Library collections, visit during regular library hours or schedule an appointment with a librarian at 937-229-4214.

BROWSE ONLINE

View a historical timeline.

Browse the Marian Library newsletters.

Browse some of our digital collections.

Explore the Marian Library exhibits.

go.udayton.edu/marianlibrary75


COMING SOON ON THE BLOG: NATIVITY CONSERVATION

An upcoming blog will feature the Marian Library’s current conservation project, a 15-figure wax Nativity called Of Fragile Beauty by Angelita Gutierrez of Mexico. To fund the work, Marian Library archivist and librarian Kayla Harris secured grants totaling almost $10,000 from the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Preservation Council through the Library Services and Technology Act. Following the crèche’s repair by professional conservator Elizabeth Allaire of Allaire Fine Art Conservation, the Marian Library will be able to display the full set for the first time since acquiring it more than 30 years ago.

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