Special Collections

Just when I thought I had seen some of the best things at BYU, I was introduced to the Special Collections in the library. This area houses pioneer journals, stone carvings, metal plates from ancient Rome, Romantic era paintings, and countless other treasures. It was amazing to see and touch things from so long ago; some of the items there predate our civilization! My mind still has a hard time comprehending the significance of that amount of time.
When Brother Taylor read to us out of pioneer journals, he was reading out of the real journal rather than a Xeroxed copy. When he taught us about cuneiform, we got to see an ancient tablet with that exact writing rather than merely looking at a picture in a textbook. I was amazed at the various mediums that were written on such as papyrus, metal plates, animal skin, bones, and shells. I don’t think I can ever complain about having to type a paper again after imagining how hard it must have been to write on a metal sheet. Brother Taylor also showed a variety of ancient scripture that was almost a picture book it had so many fancy decoration, all of which seemed intact. Perhaps it’s just because I’m such a visual learner, but I was entranced at some of the things we saw!
Brother Taylor also shared many things with us concerning our course material in the Doctrine and Covenants. He emphasized the importance of an effective scribe, comparing the monks of the past to those men that helped Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon including David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdry. Their countless hours of writing precious revelations from God have given modern society one of its most important treasures- the Book of Mormon. Those scribes knew the book to be true. Joseph’s relative lack of education is a testimony to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon; what is found in those pages could never have been dreamed up and written by a young, unlearned man from New York.
Finally, we discussed the publishing of the Book of Mormon and Gutenberg’s printing press. I feel that God played a large influence on the timing of that invention in order to help the word of His gospel spread to the corners of the earth. It’s little things like that that remind me of a Heavenly Father that really has the best interest of His children in mind.
Overall, this experience opened my eyes to some great accomplishments of people of the past. I also gained a great appreciation for all the work done by those that have spent years preserving records that benefit us greatly. My testimony has been strengthened in Joseph Smith, his work, and the scripture we have as a result of his faithfulness.