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An original 1632 book that changed the world sits in the Millar Library's collection.
For a book 373 years old, Galileo’s Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del Mondo is in surprisingly good shape. As a star of PSU Millar Library’s special collection it is treated tenderly; however, it is possible that the book rarely saw the light of day during the two centuries it was banned by the Roman Catholic Church.
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was published in 1632. It is written in the form of a conversation among three friends about the relative merits of two cosmic beliefs: one in which the Earth is the motionless center of the universe, and the other, which demotes the Earth to a planet orbiting the sun. Galileo’s conversation favored the latter—the Copernican system—which is fairly close to commonly accepted theory today. The author was summoned to Rome and brought before the inquisition, where he was forced to renounce his Copernican beliefs and sentenced to life under house arrest.
As a result of Galileo’s punishment, scientists—particularly in Italy—avoided controversial areas of investigation or presented them as hypotheses. Dialogo remained on the list of prohibited books until 1831, although the decree against the Copernican system was lifted in 1757.
Dialogo stands out for its age and rarity in the Millar Library’s special collection. It joins 1.3 million volumes and digital databases used for research and advanced study by faculty, staff, and the community. Patron usage of the library is the second highest in the state after Multnomah County Library.
In the past five years, the library completed a $2.7 million fund raising effort to build the Library Research Center. Located on the second floor, the center allows students and community patrons access to all the library’s electronic and printed materials from one location. The library also added the Orbis network, providing access to books and documents from 21 other academic libraries in the region.
Renovation and equipment updates are a continued focus of the Millar Library and a priority for the University’s $100 million Building Our Future Campaign.