The SRSU Library provides access to hundreds of thousands of resources, including many physical print materials held in the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library on the Alpine campus. The three floors of the library house cataloged books; print journals and news; DVDs and other media.
About Library Collections
Read more about special collections of the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library.
Books from the Van Robinson Fine Press Book Collection are produced by the finest book designers and printers in the United States and Europe. The 317-book collection represents an entire century of exquisitely crafted books from renowned printers such as Kelmscott, Ashendene, Arion, Book Club of Texas, Doves, and others. They are printed on the finest paper, some handmade, illustrated with original drawings, etchings, or engravings. Many are produced in limited editions, giving audiences a rare chance to see these volumes in person.
The finest and most valuable book from the collection is Moby Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville printed by Arion Press located in San Francisco, California. Every element of the book is crafted to reflect the mood of this classic text, resulting in a volume that is as much a work of art as it is a novel. Considered one of the greatest American fine press books ever printed, it took a year and a half to print and was completed in 1979. Only 265 copies were printed of which 250 were for sale. The text is set by hand with initial letters printed in blue at the start of each of the 135 chapters in Leviathan Capitals, a special alphabet designed for the purpose by Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes. Boxwood engravings created by Barry Moser depict a whaling industry on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution in meticulously researched detail. It is printed on handmade paper tinted blue-grey. A whale can be seen lurking in the very pages themselves as a watermark, visible only when light shines through the paper. The 600-page book is bound in full blue Levant Morocco (the finest goatskin) with silver lettering stamped into the spine.
The Van Robinson Fine Press Book Collection was donated to the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library by Mr. Van Robinson of Fort Davis, Texas.
The collection can be found in the library’s conference room 104 on the first floor and may be viewed by appointment.
To search the Fine Press Book Collection, Search “Van Robinson” and filter the Location to “Library – 1st Floor Conference Room (260).”
Find the Juvenile (Children’s Literature) Collection on the third floor of the library, adjacent to the regular circulating collection. The Juvenile Collection features education and recreational books appropriate for early readers through high school (Young Adult) including classics, picture books, folk literature, fairy tales, poetry, and nonfiction.
The collection is utilized predominantly to support the curriculum of the College of Education and Professional Studies’ Education Department, but it is open for browsing and circulation.
SRSU Librarians regularly collaborate with faculty and staff to make course readings freely accessible to students where possible. Textbooks available for check-out are shelved behind the Front Desk and are available as special circulating check-outs. In most cases, textbooks are available for four hours at a time and must be used in the library.
The Textbook Collection differs from Course Reserves and Open Educational Resources/No-Cost Textbook Initiatives.
The Print Journal (Periodicals) Collection spans the first and second floors of the library. The first floor of the library houses recent editions of local and regional newspapers, as well as recent editions of popular magazines. The second floor of the library houses back-issues and bound periodicals, including print popular magazines and print academic journals.
Print journals and periodicals do not circulate, but to the extent that copyright allows, may be made available to current SRSU students, faculty, and staff at all campuses (including DE) via ScanIt.
last updated: August 15, 2022