Activities of the Friends

Meetino-s

o
Twentieth Anniversary of the Friends. As anticipated, the A\'intcr
lA'Ieeting of the Friends took place on March 3 in the Facult\-
Room in Low Alemorial Library. The focal point of the program
was the Twentieth Anni\'ersar\' of the founding of our associa¬
tion, which actually took place on Alay i, 1951. Dr. Alorris 11.
Saffron presided.

The first of the two speakers was Airs. Donald F. Hyde, who
was one of the founding members of our group and who has con¬
tinued to be a member of the Council in the intervening years. Her
topic: "A History of Library Friends and the Phoenix Story of
Columbia." Paralleling this, Gordon N. Ray, also a member of the
Council, spoke on the prospects of the usefulness of our group to
tlie Libraries in the forthcoming years. One of the features of the
occasion was a special presentation to Dr. Dallas Pratt, who has
been editor of Columbia Library Columns from its inception in
1951, of a complete set of the publication in quarter-leather bind¬
ing. The presentation is to include future volumes in matching
binding.

To mark the anniversary occasion, the Friends of the (Columbia
Libraries presented a four-page autograph document in the hand
of Sir Isaac Newton comprising his commentary cm Alontc-Sny-
ders's Tractatus de Medicina Universali. . . . The manuscript was
contained in a red morocco slip case. Air. \A'arren J. Haas, the Di¬
rector of Libraries, accepted the presentation on behalf of the
Libraries, expressing appreciation for the selection of this unique
manuscript on a scientific subject. This gift constituted the newest
addition to twenty previously donated rarities from our associa¬
tion. The earlier gifts were on exhibit in cases in the Rotunda,
where our members could examine them during the cocktail period
which preceded this dinner meeting.

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