Quaker Literature at Whittier College

NOTES ^DOCUMENTS QUAKER LITERATURE AT WHITTIER COLLEGE By Benjamin Whitten* The Susan and Clifford Johnson Library of Quaker Literature at Whittier College, Whittier, California, was named after pioneer Friends in the development of the college and community. It is housed in a special room in the new Bonnie Bell Wardman Library on the campus. This is probably the largest collection of books by and about Quakers west of the older collections of midwestern and eastern colleges. The collection also has considerable holdings of Quaker periodicals and of the minutes of most of the Yearly Meetings of the United States. A new but growing adjunct to the Quaker collection is the John Greenleaf Whittier Collection, which, like the Johnson Library, is housed in special quarters in the Wardman Library. This collection , while still small, has already been significantly increased by gift and by purchase, such as the acquisition in 1963 of 177 rare Whittier items from the collection of Chauncey A. Hall of Melrose, Massachusetts. This purchase contained many first editions and fine bindings as well as presentation and association items. Also included were some manuscripts and also some rare Whittier sheet music. The three-story memorial wall in the Wardman Library consists of sculptural interpretations of key movements and developments in the history of the Society of Friends. Although not strictly speaking a part of the Quaker library, this wall is a useful resource in Quaker history. The materials in the Johnson Library are freely available for use by any interested Friends at any time. Jessamyn West, for instance, made extensive use of this collection in preparing the introductory essay to her Quaker Reader, as well as in the selection and collation of the readings of which the book is composed. In addition to being available for use at the library, the holdings of this collection may also be borrowed on interlibrary loan by any other library. * Librarian of Whittier College, Whittier, California. 46 ...