When it came time to dissolve its Training Department Library, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company decided to donate the books to two libraries, the Newberry Library and the University of Chicago Library, both libraries with longstanding interests in the history of printing. In deference to the Newberry's notable emphasis on the subject it was given first choice. The University of Chicago acquired the remaining 1,200 volumes, greatly enriching its holdings in the history of fine printing. The Training Department Library from which these books came was intimately connected to the Donnelley Company's pioneering commitment to apprenticeship training in printing. With its stress on classroom instruction, supervised training, and access to a well-stocked library, the Donnelly program represented a high point in industrial training in the United States. The R.R. Donnelley & Sons collection, now housed in the Special Collections Research Center-like the library from which it was drawn-is composed of two parts, one of finely printed books, the other of books on printing and design. This exhibit celebrates the acquisition of the R.R. Donnelley & Sons Collection with a representative sample of books and printer's tools illustrating both the intricacy of the printer's craft, and the close relationship between industrial training, the continuing development of printing as a craft and trade, and Chicago itself.
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Catalogue 167p. (perfect bound), $6
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