By Ted Kilheffer:
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the University of Delaware Library Associates, the friends group for the University of Delaware Library. Coincidentally, it also marks the 60th anniversary of my own graduation from the University of Delaware. Much has happened in the past 60 years!
In reviewing the accomplishments of the Library Associates over its long history, I am reminded of Sir Isaac Newton’s observation that “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Truly, the Library and the Associates owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the foresight and the generosity of the individuals who founded the Library Associates and to the contributions of members over the years. These contributions have been largely responsible for building the Library’s Special Collections into the resource that they are today.
Each of us can take pride in the preeminence of the University of Delaware Library and its Special Collections. The Library has become a valuable resource for scholars at the University of Delaware as well as in the world beyond. At the same time, Special Collections has become a unique resource, enriching the teaching curriculum. Building Special Collections into a valuable and accessible body of research materials is a remarkable accomplishment by the staff of the University of Delaware Library.
This exhibition “60 at 60” highlights a selection of the important additions to Special Collections that have been made possible by the contributions of the Library Associates over the past decade.
The accomplishments of these past sixty years inspire us with the possibilities that lie ahead. The future potential of the University of Delaware and its Library are truly exciting. Speaking on behalf of the University of Delaware Library Associates, I look to the future with confidence.
