The first floor of Van Wylen Library will soon be host to Manifold Greatness, the traveling panel exhibition portion of a larger project produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the 1611 King James Bible. Van Wylen is one of 40 sites chosen to host this exhibit.
“This is the only place the exhibit will travel to in all of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois,” Director of Libraries Kelly Jacobsma said. “I hope students take a few minutes to come and enjoy the panels as well as see some of the treasures that we have in the Hope College Rare Books collection.”
The exhibit and coinciding events will begin on March 2, when Dr. Marc Baer of the history department will present the opening lecture entitled Text and Context: Politics and Culture in the Britain of King James. In this lecture, Dr. Baer will explain how the broader Protestant Reformation and particularly the Reformation in Scotland and England came together to create the environment that led to the creation of the King James Bible. Dr. Baer’s lecture will begin at 3 p.m. in Winants Auditorium in Graves Hall. A reception and the formal opening of the exhibit will follow the lecture at Van Wylen Library.
Several other lectures and presentations will also take place throughout the month of March while the exhibit is on display at Van Wylen. A complete list of programming can be found on the library’s Manifold Greatness website. Additional information, including a large collection of audio clips, videos and images about the display are on the website for Manifold Greatness. There is also information in a Hope College news briefing.
To make room for the display, many items of furniture on the first floor will be temporarily moved to other locations in the library. This is an excellent opportunity for students who typically study on the first floor to explore the other four floors of the library .
— Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger