A donation of more than 70,000 books valued at $5 million will provide the basis for a new Greek studies center in the library.

The collection is one of the largest of its kind and was donated by Angelo Tsakopoulos, a developer who has been building the collection for nearly 20 years.

The Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection will occupy a wing on the third floor of the library. Though not yet open, the library has worked non-stop to get the collection open to the students.

T”We’re still checking titles and seeing if any need preservation and putting them on our database,” said Tamara Trujillo, the Senior Associate Dean at the library. “We’re also tattle-taping and bar-coding them. We’re hoping to put the collection on a recall basis by the first of May.”

TTattle-taping is the process of placing anti-theft devices into the book, and if the collection is put on a recall basis then students could request a book that would be quickly prepared and brought to the student.

T”We’re trying to get it totally open for the fall semester,” Trujillo said.

TThe recent acquisition of Greek art to decorate the collection is one more step to opening its doors, but there is still a lot of work to be done. A great deal of the collection still waits to be catalogued and preserved, and the collection still needs to be staffed.

T”We’ve been advertising for a librarian for the section,” Trujillo said. “We have a national search for someone who is familiar with the subject and the language.”

TWhile the library collection starts to take shape, the Department of Special Collections and University Archives is also at working on the collection. The Tsakopoulos Collection includes a sizable collection of antique books, old documents, photographs and a piano.

T”We have about 3,000 rare books, some as far back as the early 1500s,” said Sheilla O’Neill, head of University Archives and Special Collections. “We also have manuscripts, photographs, little artifacts and newspapers.”

TThe antique books take up about four full shelves of space and include two 16th-century commentaries on Homer’s “Odyssey” and an edition of the New Testament edited by Desiderius Erasmus. There are also a number of histories, a collection of cartography, ancient dictionaries and many books in Arabic, German and Classic Greek. Most of the rare books have yet to be researched and preserved.

T”We’re processing manuscripts, arranging, describing and preserving them in archival folders,” O’Neill said.

TMany of the photos and documents come from old Greek-American newspapers. Some of it is so brittle that it cannot be handled by students.

T”We’re trying to see if we can digitize them or get them on microfilm for student use,” said Trujillo. “Right now we’re afraid to touch them.”

Most of the damaged books have minor wear, but will likely still have steps taken to keep their condition stable.

T”Books with slight damage will be put into containers,” said O’Neill. “That will be most of the conservation treatment. Some may have bindings replaced.”

TThe library is looking forward to the eventual opening of the collection and is constantly looking for improvements.

T”We’ve gotten Greek art and posters, we’re getting signs to put up. This is going to be a really great section,” Trujillo said.

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