Kennesaw State University has announced the naming of the Robert B. Williams Rare Book Museum, marking the 40th anniversary of its Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books. The museum is named in honor of Robert B. Williams, a former director of the Horace W. Sturgis Library and a significant donor to the university.
Williams served as an administrator at Kennesaw State from 1986 to 2009. His contributions include substantial financial gifts, donations of rare books, and other artifacts that have shaped the museum’s collection.
“Bob’s visionary and generous philanthropy paves the way for the Rare Book Museum to educate and impact countless generations,” said Lance Burchett, vice president for University Advancement and CEO of the KSU Foundation.
The collection began in 1986 as the Bentley Rare Book Gallery, named after donors Fred Bentley Sr. and his wife Sara. Over four decades, it has expanded with support from other contributors such as Frank and Betty Sparti, F.A. Quadfasel, Robert de Treville Lawrence III, David Pavesic, and astronauts Edgar D. Mitchell and Charles Duke. However, Williams’ ongoing donations have played a central role in defining its current focus.
“In 2017, the Rare Book Gallery transitioned to a museum with more than 10,000 items,” said Curator JoyEllen Williams. “They range from Sumerian clay tablets and medieval manuscript leaves to modern fine press books and literary first editions.”
The museum’s mission is to collect works documenting book history in English-speaking societies across important historical periods. Its holdings include a 1502 edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy annotated by a sixteenth-century Italian reader; a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence from the 1840s; early printed works by Geoffrey Chaucer; and Shakespeare materials such as a 1685 Fourth Folio and excerpts from a 1632 Second Folio.
Students benefit from internships, scholarships, research opportunities using primary sources for projects, while faculty members and community researchers also engage with the collection through exhibitions and events focused on book history.
“In recognition of Bob Willams, his philanthropic leadership, and the many ways he has shaped this museum, we are proud to announce the official naming of the Robert B. Williams Rare Book Museum,” said Catherine Lewis, associate vice provost of Museums, Archives & Rare Books and University Libraries. “Nobody has contributed more to this extraordinary collection, and nobody deserves this honor more than Bob.”
Williams’ contributions are intended to help sustain educational programming at the museum for future generations.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the Bentleys, who helped start the collection, and the Bentley Rare Book Gallery will remain a prominent part of the museum,” said Tamara Livingston, executive director of Museums, Archives & Rare Books. “The naming of the museum after Bob Williams promises to be a very exciting next chapter in the museum’s history.”
The Robert B. Williams Rare Book Museum is located within Horace W. Sturgis Library at Kennesaw State University in Georgia (385 Cobb Ave., NW). It operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission for all visitors.
