One of the hallmarks of an excellent library is the quality of the materials within it. At the Clements, we have an amazing collection including Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe, the Weld-Grimke Papers, and the first English edition of Lewis and Clark’s journal. In fact, that journal was donated by Clements Board Member Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Harrington. In this edition of Donor Stories, Peggy shares what the experience of donating to the library was like.
Dr. Harrington (left) with former Associate Director and Curator of Maps Brian Leigh Dunnigan (right) in front of powder horns donated by Harrington.
Peggy’s introductory experience with the Clements was during her undergraduate years at the University of Michigan. She’d walked by the building and admired its beauty, but didn’t enter until she took a geography class that brought her inside the library. Years later, after her husband Kevin passed, she was approached by a mutual friend of the Clements, book dealer Graham Arader. He asked if she was interested in donating her late husband’s collection of rare materials, which included the Lewis and Clark Journal, 18th and 19th century manuscript collections, and two Fredric Martens Whaling engravings. As a U-M alumna and someone who knew of the Clements’ vast Americana collection, she felt compelled to make the donation.
In addition to knowing that the Clements’ collections are world class, Peggy also knew that by donating materials to the Clements, the items would be preserved, appreciated, and available and useful for researchers and students to learn from. Since they’ve found a home here, the items have been referenced by researchers and were featured in student classroom instruction.
One of the greatest ways to contribute to the Clements Library is through donating materials. If you have materials that you feel would be suited for the Clements’ collection, you can learn more about the process of gift-in-kind donation.