CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Southern Illinois University has received a collection of books belonging to the late inventor and designer R. Buckminster Fuller, who also taught at the school.
University officials said the roughly 3,000 volumes at the Morris Library’s Special Collections Research Center are part of a recent donation of artifacts and furniture to a nonprofit dedicated to restoring Fuller’s dome-shaped home in Carbondale. Fuller, known for his futuristic inventions, lived at the home from 1960 to 1971. He died in 1983.
University archivist Matthew Gorzalski said that according to a memorandum of understanding some volumes will go to Fuller’s home and others will go to Morris Library.
More than 100 boxes containing the books will be catalogued starting next month. Many books contain notations and drawings within the margins.
“The real value for the library is the books that are annotated for researchers. We will make a note of this in the cataloging record so people can learn more about it, what he thought, if it influenced his work,” Gorzalski said, according to the university.
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