The Davis Antique Books Collection is named for Walter Hyatt Davis, who was a member of the Board of Trustees and founder of the Westminster Branch of the Carroll County Public Library. In 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Davis donated over $250,000 for the use of the College Library, at that time housed in Peterson Hall, which was invested until enough money was raised to open the new Hoover Library building in 1962. After the construction of Hoover Library, the rare books room was named after the Davis family to honor their contributions to the college.
When the addition to Hoover Library was completed in 1991, the Davis Room was unfortunately unable to remain incorporated into the new building structure, and the books were relocated to Archives and Special Collections, where the collection was named the Davis Antique Books Collection.
A collection of antique books, containing works on topics such as history, literature, religion, the natural sciences, poetry, and military history.
Due to preservation and space concerns, many of the original titles have been removed from the collection. However, care was taken to ensure that any removed titles were freely available online. A linked spreadsheet below indicates the full list of titles that have been removed from the collection, and databases where the titles may currently be accessed.
The Archives, located on the second floor of Hoover Library at McDaniel College, is available by appointment only.
