When I opened the Gutenberg Bible, the oldest book in both the library and the Western world, I was hit with a sense of reverence; a sense that I was looking at something that changed the world. This is first-hand learning in it’s purest form, and it’s what attracted 50 classes to the Rare Books Collection last year.

When people think about the library system at Washington University, they usually consider Olin, the main library on campus. Most students, if they use it at all, go there only to study.