Much has happened in the last 50 years — and the Clarke Historical
Library is intent on preserving it.

CMU students and the surrounding community members may join in the
celebration of the 50 year anniversary of the library with an exhibit
that runs until Dec. 23.

Frank Boles, director of the library, said the exhibits are
wide-ranging

“Fifty years is, of course, a major milestone,” Boles said.

William Anderson, director of the Michigan Department of History,
Arts and Libraries, will discuss the history and future of special
collections at 3 p.m. today in the Park Library Auditorium. The
discussion is part of the anniversary celebration.

Highlights of the exhibit include the first book printed in
Michigan, a bronze cast of Abraham Lincoln’s hand, a letter from Ernest
Hemingway describing northern Michigan and a critical document of the
Watergate Scandal in which then-Senator Robert Griffin wrote to
President Nixon his views regarding what constitutes an impeachable
offense.

The Clarke Historical Library was founded in 1954 by Central
Michigan University in honor of Dr. Norman E. Clarke, Sr., a CMU
graduate. Clarke, an avid book collector, decided to donate his
collection to CMU’s library and continued to make contributions
totaling over 5,000 items throughout his life.

In return for the contribution, Charles Anspach, then-president of
CMU, pledged a special collection library to be founded and named in
Clarke’s esteem.

“It represents a substantial commitment by the university … and by
the almost 2,000 other donors to the Library,” Boles said.

The library provides the records of CMU and specializes in material
from the mid-Michigan area.

“This library serves a different purpose,” said Jeff Hancks, Public
Service Librarian for the Clarke Historical Library. “It is a special
service library to document Michigan, the Great Lakes Region and
Central Michigan University’s history.”

Many students helped design the commemoration, including Midland
graduate student Rebecca Zeiss.

“I was happy to be able to contribute artistically and to put my own
touch into the exhibit because the collection in the library is so
significant,” she said.

Boles said the exhibit celebrates what the library has accomplished
and also looks toward the future.

“Over an entrance to the National Archives in Washington, DC is
carved the words, ‘The past is prologue,’” he said. “This exhibit
creates an understanding of our institution’s past that will serve as a
guidepost helping to direct the library’s future.”

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