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Ex Libris Setonia Book Notes of SetoniaThe collective material memory of Seton Hall is found in the University Archives collection which dates from the school’s founding in 1856 to the present day, and encompasses approximately 1,300 cubic feet of documentation related to the school in some form or function. Chartered as the first Catholic college in New Jersey, Seton Hall holds an important place in the annals of religious higher education, and the resulting historical data reflects this unique status. A broad range of print resources combined with photographs, audio- and videotapes, and artifacts provide a detailed record of the varied aspects of campus life including governance, curriculum, student activity and physical plant development from its origins in Madison to its current location in South Orange. The school archival collection includes a continuous series of general bulletins/catalog(ues) dating from 1861, handwritten ledger books which provide detailed accounts of college endeavors over the last two centuries and close to 200 different campus publications including the White & Blue/Galleon (student annual yearbook) and Setonian (student newspaper) which both date from 1924 onward. Hundreds of other resource types may be found in specialized collections, record group arrangements, or in a constantly growing subject file found within the confines of this repository which also includes print materials related to the Archdiocese of Newark and Catholic New Jersey proper. The Monsignor William Noe Field Archives and Special Collections Center also features an extensive grouping of printed volumes, including over 2,000 volumes dating from the 15th century to the present day. This collection encompasses several different subject areas, but is mainly bent toward theology, philosophy, education, history and literature. Volumes found in this series are printed in various languages including Latin, German and French, among others. Aside from the age and scarcity of many titles found in this collection, there are hundreds of latter-day autographed editions and still others which show the craftsmanship of early print masters including Fus, Schoeffer and Jenson, to name a few. Also included are books written by faculty authors, autographed texts and other specialized works of renown from a local and global perspective. Several thousand more titles encompassing the areas of Irish culture, literature and history combined with the American Civil War are counted among the associated unique works found on campus which are available to the research community at large. The University Libraries at Seton Hall contain over half a million books, nearly 2,000 periodical titles and several thousand electronic databases, microfilm and related information resources for use by students, faculty, staff, alumni and all friends of the University. The mission statement for the University Libraries revolves around the core theme that librarians envision an environment that includes an ever flourishing wealth of resources for knowledge building: 1) To enhance the University’s resources by the management of scholarly information and the judicious integration of information technology into the curriculum; 2) To manage resources that will enable students to develop and master the professional skills that are necessary on a regional and global level; 3) To provide information literacy instruction and reference service to educate lifelong learners in using information resources; 4) To create seamless access to information resources for the Seton Hall University curriculum, and maintain an ongoing assessment of the libraries’ services, technologies and collections; 5) To serve as a vital link to students and faculty for their information and research needs; and 6) To support the Seton Hall University Libraries Catholic Collections and unique materials for future scholarship that integrate spiritual concepts with a focus on a tradition of service. The following is a selected list of articles, books and texts that provide an introductory look at Seton Hall University history from 1856 to the present. All of the following titles are found in the William Noe Field Archives and Special Collections Center and/or Walsh Library Main Collection. The location of these publications, format type and call numbers are provided through the University Libraries
The foundation of an education is based in large part upon the information found in books. These instruments of enlightenment have been a mainstay of the classroom since the schools founding in 1856 to the present through the major repositories of the Main College Building, Marshall Hall, McLaughlin Library and the present day Walsh edifice, along with bookstores and the old-fashioned method of sharing between friends. Freedom of research on the Seton Hall campus was slow incoming; however, among the fundamental rules of discipline during the 19th century included the following: “No books other than text-books and works of reference recommended by the Professors, may be held by the students, unless by permission of the President.” (Seton Hall College Catalogue, June 1864) Times and tomes have changed as we move forward into the new millennium. The joys of reading have expanded and exploded as endless options for learning the many wonders of life await each and every student of Seton Hall. From a novice who wishes to take his or her first look to a voracious reader of legendary texts -- along with everyone in between -- they share a commonality that an educational journey simply begins with a book and a dream.
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