The Catalogue of the Original Library of Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania

Abstract

Scholars have long noted the significance of Allegheny College's original library to American cultural and educational history. This article describes how the books in the original library have been housed and maintained by the college, and traces the evolution of the catalogue of the original library, from book format in 1823, through card format, and finally to online. The catalogue and its retrospective conversion was completed almost entirely in-house. It presented many challenges to the library staff due to the special nature of the collection.