Curator talks about what's in North Central library's storeroom

Emily Prather never knew Philip and Elsie Sang.

Yet, she watches over their stuff and willingly shares it with others.

"Stuff" is Prather's generic term for such treasures as a 1632 first edition of Galileo's "Dialogue," a collection of U.S. presidential signatures, and jazz books and sheet music.

The items are all part of North Central College's Oesterle Library's special collections, of which Prather is curator.

"The major part of our special collections was from the Sangs," Prather said. "It was just what they did."

The Sangs, wealthy philanthropists from River Forest, collected rare manuscripts relating to the American scene, American Judaica, human freedom and history, according to a vitae of Philip Sang that Prather produces. Or you might just say their collecting interests were eclectic.

They weren't hoarders, either. They donated portions of their collections to colleges throughout the country. The donations to North Central started in the 1960s and Philip Sang died in 1975.

But while the Sangs' donations form the biggest chunk of North Central's special collections, they are not the only treasures Prather houses in the library's climate-controlled basement room and takes out for those who ask to see them.

Late Naperville resident Earl Leffler donated his collection of books on Abraham Lincoln to the college in the 1940s.

"It's approximately 30 boxes of books," Prather said of the volumes covering Lincoln's life from his childhood to his presidency.

Richard and Phyllis Tholin, an older couple from Evanston, are making donations to the college from their collection of books on the Chicago area.

"They love their books and I think it's very hard for them to give up some of them," Prather said.

The Tholin collection includes several novels written about the time of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago that contain a moralistic warning to young women, Prather said.

"There were a lot of novels written around the World's Fair about these young girls who left the farm and go to Chicago and visit the World's Fair. All these horrible things happened to them," she said.

Unlike most of the special collections, the Tholins' Chicago-area books are housed upstairs in the library's open stacks where they can be viewed easily even though they cannot be taken out of the library. The Tholins want their books to be accessible, Prather said.

"The whole point of a book is for somebody to hold it in their hand and to gain something from it," she said.

With that in mind, Prather has been talking up the special collections since she became an employee of the college library about two years ago. The library has held two special events this year - for Lincoln's birthday and Women's History Month - to bring out some of its treasures.

Interest in the collection has increased since then, Prather said. She's looking for an occasion to pull out Galileo's "Dialogue."

"In my opinion that's our very coolest thing," she said. "It's really in beautiful shape."

Other interesting items in the collection include George Washington's signature on a land survey he did when he was a young man, a Lincoln letter and a congratulatory telegram the president sent to Union Gen. Philip Sheridan after a victory. There's also a letter written by American poet Emily Dickinson, Mahatma Gandhi's signature and a replica of a Revolutionary War rifle.

Prather only wishes she had more time to devote to the special collections. She's also the library's technical service coordinator involved in the behind-the-scenes work of purchasing print and electronic resources, cataloging items and repairing books.

In fact, Prather is not sure how special collections became part of the tech services job, but she assumes it's because it involves preservation.

"It's really not normal at all," she said.

A native of Kentucky, Prather came to North Central after earning a bachelor's degree in art history from Transylvania University in Lexington and a master's degree in library science from the University of Kentucky. She said she likes the Chicago area, with one reservation.

"I have to admit I still don't like the winters," she said. "I've been complaining about the winter since I moved here and I moved here in August."

Still, Prather is putting down roots in Naperville. She's getting married June 12 to James Rodgers, another Kentucky native who works in campus safety at North Central, and the couple are looking to buy their first home.

Prather volunteers at Naper Settlement, Naperville's 19th-century museum village, and is training for her first triathlon, the Naperville Sprint on Aug. 9.

The special collections she presides over are generally available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Oesterle Library, 320 E. School St., Naperville, but it is best to call first. Prather may be reached at (630) 637-5709.

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