ETSU's Sherrod Library Celebrates America's 250th Anniversary

The library's rare collections event showcased historic books, maps, and more to mark the nation's milestone.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The ETSU Sherrod Library in Johnson City, Tennessee, hosted a Rare Collections event on March 6-7, 2026, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America. The exhibits featured a selection of the library's vast holdings of rare books, historic maps, and other archival materials focused on American history. Despite having over 5,000 rare books and 80,000 maps in its collection, the library carefully curated just 20-25 books and 15-20 maps for the special event.

Why it matters

The Sherrod Library's Rare Collections event provided the local community with a unique opportunity to engage with and learn about America's rich history through the library's impressive archival holdings. As one of the largest academic libraries in the region, the Sherrod Library plays a vital role in preserving and sharing important historical materials that help educate the public about the nation's past.

The details

The Rare Collections event took almost a year to plan, according to Library Information Specialist Paul Nease. In addition to the rare books and maps, the event also showcased the library's microfilm collection, with selected films digitized and displayed on televisions. Nease noted that the hardest part was narrowing down the vast holdings to just a small selection for the event, as the library has so much information to share.

  • The Rare Collections event was held on March 6-7, 2026.
  • The library will host a 3D Model to 3D Print Workshop on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
  • The library's Coffee and Creative Writing monthly meeting will also take place on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

The players

ETSU Sherrod Library

A large academic library located in Johnson City, Tennessee, that serves East Tennessee State University and the surrounding community. The library houses over 5,000 rare books and 80,000 maps in its extensive archival collections.

Paul Nease

A Library Information Specialist at the ETSU Sherrod Library who helped organize the Rare Collections event.

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What they’re saying

“Honestly, the hardest thing is narrowing it down because we have so, so much information.”

— Paul Nease, Library Information Specialist (easttennessean.com)

“We want to highlight some of our unique and our archival collections here at the library. You know, I think the library has a lot to offer, and so this is really our big promotional event to get people in the door so they can really see what we have, and hopefully it gets them interested and so they can come back later and really do a deep dive and explore the rest of our collections.”

— Paul Nease, Library Information Specialist (easttennessean.com)

What’s next

The Sherrod Library plans to continue hosting a variety of workshops, meetings, game nights, competitions, and other events throughout the year to engage the local community and showcase its extensive collections.

The takeaway

The Sherrod Library's Rare Collections event demonstrates the vital role that academic libraries play in preserving and sharing important historical materials with the public. By carefully curating a selection of their vast archival holdings, the library was able to provide the community with a unique opportunity to connect with America's rich past and learn more about the nation's 250-year history.