Patsy Wilson book plate collection coming to Washington Public Library

The Patsy Wilson bookplate collection will make its permanent home in the Helen Wilson Gallery in the Washington Public Library.

At their recent board of trustees meeting, trustee Carol Ray introduced the idea of adding the collection to the wooden panels in the Helen Wilson Gallery. Five shadow box frames will hold the approximate 40 bookplates on the wall.

'Patsy Wilson was just a remarkable collector of bookplates, and she left her collection to the library,” she said.

Ray explained that bookplates gained popularity in the ‘30s because they were small and inexpensive. Bookplates were a small printed or stamped decorative label placed inside the front cover of the book to indicate ownership.

Patsy Wilson was the longest serving board member of the Washington Public Library and an English teacher from the area. Her collection of bookplates is currently housed in the State Library but will make their way back to Washington.

Ray said she felt it important to bring these bookplates back to the library because of their art and historical value.

'This is the house of books and bookplates have been part of books for a long time. They're like miniature works of art,” she said. 'They were part of the time and I think they have a real historical interest.”

She hopes the bookplates become a source of interest for those who collect bookplates and bring more people into the library to view them.

'They're like finding a little hidden treasure inside a book,” she said. 'It's a nice little visual history of what was going on.”