Toronto, Canada—began in 1949. These three represent categories of international,
academic, and focused special collections respectively.
Characteristics of special collections are that they are kept apart physically from the
general collection, usually are non-circulating, and more often than not depend
financially on private donors. Some are open to the general public, while others, such as
the Pierpont Morgan, limit use to qualified scholars who are given special permission.
Collectors often become donors to special collections. For example, d’Alte Welch
collected Americana privately and soon amassed 2,800 volumes including two-thirds of
the books printed in America before 1821; after his death these became part of the
American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Elisabeth Ball divided her collection among the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Lilly
Library at Indiana University, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. The last of these
received 150 hornbooks.
Special collections may be international or national, historical or contemporary,
general or specific, and be in academic, public or private institutions.
InternationalToday at least two well-known collections attempt to span the international output of
children’s books; most countries have national libraries which actually are often
internationally comprehensive, while others deal with a more narrow national scope.
Outside the city of Munich is the International Youth Library. It has moved from close
proximation to the University of Munich to a castle in the town of Passing, easily
accessible by electric train from downtown Munich. This collection of half a million
volumes has books from around the world. Established in 1949, it attracts scholars,
editors, writers, translators, and illustrators and offers three-month stipends on a
competitive basis. A staff of language experts both catalogue the books and assist the
visitors.
The Osaka (Japan) Children’s Book Institute opened in 1984, with a similar intention
to be international in scope. Its building was converted to its current library use after
the Expo ‘70 and has a stunning setting next to an artificial lake. While the first floor is
a working children’s library and has an auditorium for such activities as Boy Scout
assemblies, the upper floor is devoted to the children’s literature research centre.
Professor Shin Torigoe’s historic collection of nine-teenth- and twentieth-century
Japanese books and periodicals provides the keystone to the collection. Among holdings
are books from the Meiji and Taisho Periods. A staff of Japanese bibliographers
specialising in languages collects and catalogues books in languages such as English,
Finnish and German.
NationalThe British Library exhibits its children’s books on occasion. This prestigious national
library owns the Caxton Aesop’s Fables, the manuscript for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s
Adventures Underground (1865) and the first edition of Little Goody Two-Shoes (1765).
540 LIBRARIES AND RESEARCH COLLECTIONS