The Youth Literature Collection: 1961-1999
In Spring 2013, former Long Island librarians and rare book curators, Marjorie Rosenthal and Mary Lois Nichols, generously donated a collection of 1,500 first edition juvenile books called The Youth Literature Collection. 1961-1999 to the American Juvenile Collection (AJC). Over the years, Mrs. Rosenthal and Ms. Nichols painstakingly built their special collection of fiction, folklore, fairy tale and poetry in a space loaned to them by the South Huntington Public Library and in cooperation with the Suffolk County (New York) Cooperative Library System.
With the addition of The Youth Literature Collection. 1961-1999, the originator of the AJC and the current Curator decided to extend the time period for American Juvenile Collection's collecting mission from 1910-1960 to 1910-1999. The AJC staff remains focused on collecting the hardest to obtain first editions published between 1910-1960, though The Youth Literature Collection serves a critical role in turning the American Juvenile Collection into a Twentieth-Century Collection available for access to the academic community and general public. The comprehensive collecting mission to gather all North American first edition imprints in the twentieth Century has resulted in the offering of a deep research collection of juvenile literature.
The AJC is not only accessible to the research scholar but also has a vision to reach parents and grandparents who want to share selections from the collection's treasure chest of memories. These memories help us to understand where we have been and how we came to be who we are. Donations are most appreciated! Visitors and local school classes are encouraged. Please contact Jarron Jewell, AJC Curator, for assistance or for help in making an appointment to visit the collection.
American Juvenile Collection
Contact Information
Archives and Special Collections is located on the second floor of the LIU Post Library.
Rooms: 345-346
Heather Hesse - Special Collections Assistant
Archives and Special Collections
516/299-2880
Heather.Hesse@liu.edu
Hours: 9:00-5:00, Monday-Friday