The Remnant Trust, a collection of rare and original works, debuts on campus for the fourth consecutive year. The collection is made available to faculty members, students and members of the community for the duration of the fall semester. Works by Lincoln, Jefferson, Milton and writings from the King James Bible are a few of the rarities displayed. A series of lectures is also presented along with of the collection.
“I went big again this year,” Dr. David Baum, professor of Humanities and director of The Remnant Trust, said. “The theme for this year is West meets West: Reading the Classics on the American Frontier. There’s this great book element in itself. I would like to find as many names as I can to engage students with as many books as I can.”
The first lecture is scheduled for Sept. 26 and will be presented by Baum in the Derrick Room of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. Baum’s lecture is titled “1000 years of God: The Middle Ages and the Great Books of the Western World.”
The works are made available to the community and can be a learning tool in the classroom.
“This is a valuable learning tool. It compiles many texts in one place that students can utilize for research purposes or if they are just wanting a source of important literature throughout the world’s history,” Nora Hyman, senior Graphic Design major, said. “It may take time for students to become aware that it [The Remnant Trust] is available, but once it is widely known this collection will be utilized very often by students.”
According to Baum, his goal is to personalize the experience and create an immediate attachment to the books.
“I want people to think about reading these outside of class. I want to stimulate the interest by the wow factor,” Baum said.
The works are located at The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and are easily accessible to students.
“Having these works on campus will intrigue the students to learn about these people when they can see their original and actual documents,” Caley Compton, junior Education major, said. “It’s so rare for such works to be available to students. I’m sure several students would love to see it.”
