There is a secret treasure on campus that most students never see. Within the stacks of the University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, or RBML, are some of the most valuable items in the Midwest.

Adorned with gold and other precious materials, some of the books date back nearly two thousand years. There are tales of Medieval Europe, excerpts of the Gutenberg Bible and priceless cultural artifacts.

“There’s no cultural resource outside of Chicago within the whole state of Illinois worth more than those rare books. No nano-computer is worth as much as the RBML collection, not just monetarily but culturally,” said Dr. Valerie Hotchkiss, head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

With over a quarter million rare books and 15,000 cubic feet of manuscripts, the RBML holds the largest public university collection of renaissance imprints in America, and has the third largest university collection of incunabula, books printed before 1501.

“I often say the RBML is all of the libraries together. We take the cream of the crop from each library,” Hotchkiss said. “Every field is represented here … from the dawn of writing to yesterday.”

People from all over the world, including professors, translators, scholars and editors, often come to the RBML to use the valuable resources.

For Hotchkiss, the most rewarding part of working at the RBML is getting students excited about using primary sources.

“I run a book club for first to sixth graders at a local school. Bringing them here to see an H.G. Wells’ manuscript after we’ve just read the book is really thrilling,” Hotchkiss said. “(It’s also thrilling) to show French literature to a group of ten undergraduates, and to see the spark in one or two of their eyes. You can see maybe I’ve just created a collector or a scholar. Yes, someone will be sleeping, but some will be excited.”

The RBML has all of Genesis and part of Exodus of the Gutenberg Bible, which was the first book printed with moveable type in the west around 1454. Michael Rora, employee of the RBML and senior in LAS, said his favorite part of working at the RBML is being able to work closely with the rare material, such as the Gutenberg Bible.

“It’s a great job that I tell my friends all about,” Rora said. “I’ve posted my Facebook saying, ‘I got to handle the Gutenberg Bible. How cool is that?’”

Some of the RBML’s earliest materials are papyri from Egypt dating to the second century. The RBML also has a Dharani sutra, which was printed in Japan with wooden blocks around AD 770. Empress Shotoku only ordered one million copies of the sutra to be produced, and the RBML has one of the surviving copies.

The RBML has about 350 early medieval manuscripts, such as a ninth century manuscript of an unrecorded poem by the Venerable Bede and an 11th century Byzantine legal manuscript.

Throughout the year, the RBML has several exhibitions that last two to three months, which show some of the library’s rare books in display cases.

“Currently, the library is running a display of the King James Bible to celebrate its 400th anniversary,” said Ernie Gullerud, who has been a volunteer at RBML for six years. “The exhibitions are wonderful because it gives you the chance to see these rare original works that were written thousands of years ago.”

According to Chatham Ewing, Curator of Special Collections, RBML acquires books through supporters and alumni’s donations and gifts, as well as through buying them from rare book dealers and at auctions.

Some of the RBML’s strengths are in English literature, the history of science, drama and theater of many languages, and the Spanish Civil War. The library also has a large collection of papers by Marcel Proust, Anthony Trollope, Carl Sandburg and current poet laureate W. S. Merwin.

The RBML recently acquired an 18th century music pedagogy book written by Mozart’s father.

The manuscript of H.G. Wells’ “The Adventures of Tommy” was also added to the library’s H.G. Wells collection, which includes the manuscript of “The War of the Worlds” and “The Time Machine.”

The RBML has also become the repository for all of the archives of Iraq and Afghan veterans’ Combat Paper Project, which pulps paper from soldiers’ uniforms. On Combat Paper, veterans create art and poetry, write their thoughts about peace and their time in war and make other personal projects.

When items need to be repaired, they are sent to the Conservation Laboratory, which is at the Oak Street Library Facility. These repairs range from removing tape from a letter, fixing water damage, rebinding a detached book and fixing tears, to removing stains or mold. The repair process can take anywhere from an hour to a year, depending on the complexity of the problem. One item that took seven months to repair was an Elizabethan magic manuscript written in English from around the 1590’s, which had become eroded by time.

To make rare books more accessible, the RBML has a thorough, ongoing digitization process. While the process is usually done thematically, individual books that seem to exist in only one copy are also digitalized to be made available online.

The RBML is a closed stack library to keep the books safe and protected, meaning that people cannot check out the books or personally browse the bookshelves.

All of the RBML materials are maintained in a vault, which consists of four floors of the library. The vault is controlled through biometric and physical security devices, and is kept at 60 degrees and 40 percent humidity. Light exposure is also controlled to prevent books from fading. There are security cameras and motion sensors throughout the facility, as well as particulate and chemical contaminant filters.

The RBML keeps paper records of those who register to examine the books, just in case the book is damaged or goes missing. Visitors can look at up to three items at a time, and do not have to wear white gloves when handling the materials.

With the abundance of different treasures in the RBML, it is a challenge for Dr. Hotchkiss to pick one personal favorite.

“There is something in every field that becomes my favorite for the day. One of my favorites is the ‘First Folio’ of William Shakespeare. We have a 1603 manuscript that lists a play that William Shakespeare wrote called ‘Love’s Labour’s Won,’” Hotchkiss said.

The RBML staff welcomes and encourages students to come and enjoy the RBML as much as they do.

“If you like ‘Moby-Dick,’ why not come and see the first edition that Herman Melville gave to a friend, which is inscribed in the front?” Hotchkiss said. “Everyone is welcome to come here. Don’t feel like you are not worthy to use these rare books, because they’re here, they’re yours, and it’s part of your education.”