The Jane Austen Collection At Gaucher College

The Jane Austen Collection is one of Goucher College's most significant research collections. The basis of the collection is the 1975 donation of Henry and Alberta Hirschheimer Burke, which included rare Austen editions and related books about Austen's life and times, as well as personal correspondence and memorabilia related to the Burkes' interest in Austen and the development of their collection. The Burke collection also documents Henry Burke's co-founding of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) in 1979. Barbara Winn Adams, a long-time JASNA member, enhanced the Austen collection with more than 275 volumes in 1998. The JASNA Archives were donated to Goucher College in 2000. Information about JASNA and the current Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal On-Line  are available on the society'swebsite. Titles in the Austen collection are searchable through the online catalog, which continues to be updated as additional material is processed. The Austen collection has been widely used by both the Goucher community and visiting scholars. For information about the collection, please contact  Special Collections Librarian and College Archivist Tara Olivero (410-337-6347).