Today@Sam Article
Unique Finds From Library’s Digital Collection
April 5, 2021
SHSU Media Contact: Emily Binetti
National Library Week (April 4 - 10) celebrates the essential role of libraries, librarians and library workers. SHSU’s Newton Gresham Library has served as a literary lifeline for our campus community since 1968.
Whether you’re in the mood to explore art, Texas history, photography or unique manuscripts, the library’s Digital Collections offers a nice diversion from the current news cycle. In addition to the collections featured below, you can follow the blog, Out of the Box, where Barbara Kievit-Mason (university archivist/library associate) highlights library treasures.
Explore Texas history with treasures from the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Inside the library’s digital collections, you’ll find unique artifacts dedicated to the life and times of General Sam Houston.
Take a step back in time and see how our campus has changed over the years with pictures from the past. You’ll find images that capture what campus looked like in 1969, the Texas State University System 125th anniversary photograph collection, and SHSU sports images through the decades.
Special Collections - Thomason Room
Notable among this collection are the vivid drawings of Col. John W. Thomason, JR., for whom the Thomason Room was named in 1968. The collection is also home to the personal libraries and papers of the first two directors of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Historical BooksUncover numerous digital copies of old books with historical significance to Huntsville, including the 1899 book Sam Houston Normal Institute and Historic Huntsville Through a Camera – a color printed booklet with photographs and text showing Huntsville’s progress and growth from 1837-1899.
Texas Military Veteran Video Oral Histories
Hear from over 65 military veterans recounting their lives and memories. This project was developed in partnership with the Library of Congress Veteran's History Project and the H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum of Texas.
Breitenbach Mexican Mask Collection
Discover the fourth largest collection of Mexican masks in the United States, assembled by William J. Breitenbach between 1968 and 2004. The former SHSU art professor travelled throughout Mexico and bought masks from artists. The colorful masks, which represent human faces, animal faces and skulls, are constructed of wood, ceramic, paper mache or leather.
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