From the desk of Felicity Knox ’94, library associate to Special Collections and University Archives
Hey Felicity,
Q: What’s the oldest book in Special Collections and University Archives?
A: We don’t know the exact date it was made, but this personal prayer book was created before the printing press, sometime in the 1400s. Its pages are made of vellum, which is an incredibly durable paper made with animal skin.
The book itself, which was part of the rare book collection acquired when Baltimore Hebrew University integrated with TU in 2009, is very small but in good condition. We are helping to prolong that with good storage.
Have a question for Felicity? Email her at fknox AT_TOWSON.
The Maryland Occupational Therapy Association (MOTA) began housing its collections
at Special Collections and University Archives in 2019.
The collections hold material dating to the early 1900s, when occupational therapy courses were being taught at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital as well as Johns Hopkins Hospital.
TU’s connection to MOTA began in 1974, when the occupational therapy (OT) department at Towson State College was established, before a state licensing measure was passed. Later, faculty were involved in establishing OT license regulations for Maryland, the first of which were issued in 1979.
This fall The Towerlight, Towson University’s student newspaper, ceased publishing physical copies. It continues to be found online, and Special Collections and University Archives is capturing that online content for future researchers.
The first student newspaper was published in March 1921. It was named after the school itself and was very large but thin. It’s packed with long stories about various groups on campus and is focused, like the school, on information for future teachers.
The name changed in January 1922 to The Oriole. Still very focused on information for aspiring teachers, the newspaper was more compact. Its mission was right on the front page: to be an information source for current and interested students as well as an example to other Normal schools.
Four years later, the name changed once again to the more familiar Tower Light. The newspaper remained committed to being a space for students to share experiences and information as well as another line of communication for faculty and administration to the entire campus.