Up until Tuesday, I had not heard of MASC. Come to find out
it is on our campus and accessible to students here at WSU. The MASC—which
stands for Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections—is located at the
bottom of the Rotunda in Holland/Terrell Libraries. Coming into this, I had no
idea what to expect…maybe some ancient books locked up in see through cases
that we can admire without touching…or maybe just books labeled with a huge “DO
NOT TOUCH SIGN.” Surprisingly, neither of these were the case. I was (and still
am) amazed at how we could touch and look through these old books; there were
no plastic cases or “do not touch” signs strongly pointing us away from them. I
think it is so great that we can actually touch, flip through, smell, and read
these classic, old books. One book that stood out to me was Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This particular book
had survived a flood back in the late 1800’s and here it is today—you can tell
that it is old and worn out, but that fact that I got to touch and feel a book
that old was incredible. The fact that WSU Libraries has a place like MASC that
allows students to come in and view such documents and artifacts is pretty
amazing—it shows that they really are here for the students and that they want
us to feel comfortable and welcome in coming to view such items. After class, I
was a still curious as to what MASC was all about and wanted to know more,
after finding their website I was able to understand more about them and what
they offered. They were founded by WSU Libraries in 1977 and contains many
types of material such as: personal and family documents (diaries, letters,
etc.), collections based on the Northwest region, WSU papers, etc. They also
have rotating exhibits in the main part of the MASC. Currently, it is World War
I and the Palouse. In the past they have featured: Nez Perce Indians, Early
Days of WSU Football, Washington Territory, and First Women in Graduate
Education at WSU. These are just a few of the exhibits that have been featured
at the MASC. I like how they typically display things related to Washington
State—such as the Palouse, Washington State University, and tribes or people of
this region. It makes it much more relatable and interesting because then we
can visualize and learn about our local history. I think that by knowing the
history of places around us we will appreciate it a lot more. As I said before
I think it is so great that they feature history of our own University because
it helps students learn about and appreciate WSU so much more. I am so glad to
have had the opportunity to visit the MASC and I definitely plan on visiting
again. What stood out to you at the MASC? Were you surprised at anything? Did
you think there was something else they needed to have and display there? I am
curious to know your thoughts and opinions about our class visit to the MASC!
I had no idea that there was anything like the Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections at WSU either! When I heard we were going there, I did not have any idea of what to expect. After hearing more about it, I thought it would be a huge room with a bunch of cases with stuff in them we could not touch as well. However I was pleasantly surprised to see that was not the case! My favorite thing I saw was Uncle Tom’s Cabin as well! I was fascinated to see that it survived a flood in Pennsylvania. I was actually really curious to know what the MASC’s most prized possessions were, so I think I will have to go back and find out!
ReplyDelete-the ladies of bromanley
We also found the MASC to be an exceptionally exciting and remarkable place that we had never known about up until that class. We all had the same kind of initial thoughts when we first walked into the MASC and saw all the ancient looking artifacts and books that were stored there. I (Ryan Olson) personally was afraid to touch most of the things in that room because of how old and invaluable they were, especially after the man in charge told us just how old the books had been around. I was afraid that one wrong movement could permanently damage a piece of great American Literature. We all are looking forward to using the MASC to our advantage throughout the rest of our times here at Washington State University.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the MASC visit. The WSU history part is really interesting, too, as your post suggests.
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