University of Louisville Magazine

FALL 2013

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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UNIV ERSITY LI BRARIES COUPLE'S GIFT HELPS RARE DOCUMENTS WITHSTAND RAVAGES OF TIME "THE MONTGOMERYS' GIFT ENABLES US TO MAKE THESE ITEMS AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS NOW — AND INTO THE FUTURE" Guy, 68A, 76GU, and Libbye 68A, 78GE, Montgomery are committed to preserving the past, from Libbye's family farm to the environment and even centuries-old documents and books. Their passion for preservation was on display again this year, when the couple gave Archives and Special Collections (ASC) a gift, the f rst of its kind, specifcally designated to the conservation of rare and archived material. "In this digital age, I believe books still matter and that they are an important, tangible connection to the past. Reading text or examining a photo on the computer cannot substitute looking at the physical item," Guy said. In late June, the couple saw the results of their gift f rsthand, when rare book curator Delinda Buie showed them two 12th-century vellum (animal skin) manuscript fragments that had been cleaned to remove mold and stains. "It's wonderful to see tangible results of what you've done," Guy said. "It's better than thinking, 'Well, they'll do something with it'." Both documents are part of ASC's teaching collection. "When materials need conservation, we have to keep them locked away for safekeeping. Properly conserved materials are accessible and allow scholars hands-on experience with priceless documents. The Montgomerys' gift enables us to make these items available to researchers now — and into the future," said ASC Director Carrie Daniels. The donation will fund other conser vation work, but not all that ASC needs. University Libraries hopes to create an endowment that will provide direct funding strictly for conser vation. For more information, call Denise Nuehring at 502-852-0238. VISION | Libraries is committed to maintaining its reputation as a preeminent academic research library system. 48|LOUISVILLE.EDU

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