McKay Library at BYU-Idaho displays collection of print artifacts  

The David O. McKay Library at Brigham Young University-Idaho has opened The Scriptorium Collection: A History of the Written Word, an exhibit showcasing university-owned artifacts of the development of writing.

Bradley Broschinsky, a BYU-Idaho student majoring in communication, created the exhibit to show a physical timeline of human progression.

"The purpose of this collection is to provide a visual timeline of the different processes, materials, and styles of book binding and writing that have been used from the earliest known written languages to our modern book," Broschinsky said.

The collection includes various versions of the Bible, including an original copy of a first edition King James version of the Bible, published in 1611. The oldest artifacts in the exhibit are the cuneiform tablet and nail dating back to around 2000 B.C.

"The items on display which I find most interesting are the two original leaves from Books of Hours.  These two pages show the process of preparing the vellum and of illuminating these texts.  Books of Hours were prayer books that were popular during the Renaissance," Broschinsky said.

It is important for the university to have these artifacts, he said, because it shows students the importance of knowledge.

"The Church has always emphasized the importance of researching our personal history and these items are a large part of that," Broschinsky said. "What life has not been influenced by a book at one time or another? These items help illustrate to students the sacrifices that so many went through to enable the spread of knowledge to the world and also the vital importance that they felt in preserving that knowledge. It makes history come alive for the students."

Because of their importance, the university will continue to obtain new artifacts and expand its collection.

"This collection will continue to grow and we are constantly looking for new items that will facilitate the purposes that we have for this collection. The exhibit is but a small portion of the items that we have in our possession and we invite everyone and anyone to come in and we will share more of this great collection with them," Broschinsky said.

The exhibit will be open through mid-June. It can be found in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room on the second floor of the McKay Library. For more information, call 496-2986.