Response to the Special Collections Visit

I was really grateful to have to opportunity to see some of the interesting things that we have deep in the Special Collections of the Harold B. Lee Library. It was interesting to see how a writing system was important even in early times. The first writing system that we were able to see was that of cuneiform. We were shown a clay tablet that contained the dealings of a business transaction and allowed us to see that some of the purposes of writing have remained the same throughout time.

The next time we were able to see was the formation of papyrus. Papyrus made brittle paper that was kept in large scrolls. After papyrus came velum and parchment. Monks and nuns would use these forms of paper to write many books including the bible. The artistry that often went into these books was amazing. There were tiny little details shown on every page and decorating every border. The time that went into these books allows us to see the incredible importance that the early Christians placed on the bible.

Although these books were all highly valued it was nearly impossible for the average Christian to own a Bible and be able to read it for themselves due to the astronomical costs (similar to that of a small house in today’s dollars). Gutenburg created the printing press with moveable type allowing the printing of books to be cheaper to obtain and more accessible to the common man. Thanks to this incredible invention the scriptures and other books became more accessible to everyone in the world.

Today it is easy see the great influence that the transformation of the written word as taken on our world today. Without such great changes we wouldn’t have as educated of a people and lack many of the luxuries that we now pretend are necessities. Knowing the great journey that the written word has come to become obtainable for many men, women and children in America, it is important that we be grateful for the effects it has had on us. How can we show gratitude? The large majority of us have been able to become much better educated than our ancient ancestors and we should be grateful for this gift by continuously expanding our knowledge and striving to apply it in our daily lives. Because writing things down is no longer as laborious or expensive as many ancient peoples may have experiences, we should take advantage of our ability to express ourselves and use the written word to share ideas and educate others. In addition we should do as the writers of scriptures did and write small whisperings of the Spirit, goals, daily events and testify of the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. In feasting on the written word and using our ability to write it we can take full advantage of the gift that has been given to us and be truly grateful for it.