The California Collection (designated with a CAL in the call number) was donated to the McCarthy Library in David Wheatley's memory. There are many rare and interesting books, some of which are housed in special collections and some of which are housed in the main stacks' California Collection. The works included in this guide are those which are housed in the Special Collections room. You can make an appointment for checking out these special collection materials by either contacting the circulation desk or by e-mailing a librarian directly, and we'll be happy to set up a time for you and/or your students to come and see what we have to offer!
The California Collection is one of our microcollections, and those items which are rare and/or delicate within this collection can be found in the Special Collections: Non-Circulating California Collection. For the purposes of this finding aid, the books which comprise this microcollection are divided into several subject categories, including: "California History," "Books about Napa and Napa Valley," "Pamphlets, Maps, Reports, Conference Documents, and Other Short Works about California," "Literary Works by Napa Authors or about Napa," "Biographies," "Wine and Food," and "Agriculture."
The "California History" tab includes "The Knoxville Mining District, The McLaughlin Gold Mind, Northern California Oral History Transcripts," which provide a fascinating look at the mining operations in and around Napa Valley, "Bancroft Oral History Collection (Fascimiles)," which includes oral histories told by prominent people, such as Philip Bancroft, and "Books on California History," which are general books on California history.
The "Books about Napa and Napa Valley" tab includes books that provide both general histories about the area and special interest books about not just the City of Napa, but the Napa Valley itself (and a little bit on Lake County, too). This tab also includes a small section on the Napa State Hospital.
The "Pamphlets, Maps, Reports, Conference Documents, and Other Short Works about California" tab covers a variety of materials. There are pamphlets about specific topics such as early steam navigation on the Napa River. There are maps such as those detailing the flood plains in Napa Valley. There are reports about Napa governance. There are confrence documents from the Napa Valley Poetry Conference, as well as othe conferences such as the Jessamyn West Young Writers Conference. There are even fascilimies of articles and short journals, including works about the Wappo tribe.
The "Literary Works by Napa Authors or about Napa" includes literary works written by local authors and works which are set in Napa and the Napa Valley.
The "Biographies" tab includes information on important figures in both California history and also those figures who helped to shape the local landscape in Napa and the Napa Valley.
The "Wine and Food" tab includes three sub-categories: "Viticulture, Production, and Distribution," "Wine: the Drink," and "Cookbooks." The first sub-category includes a few works that describe the process of wine-making from the grape to the bottle on the shelf. The second sub-category includes a couple of books on wine appreciation and rare wines respectively. The third category includes two cookbooks.
The final tab, "Agriculture," covers two different sub-categories. These include "Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges" in relation to agricultural practices, and "Products," meaning the food that is actually produced.
MLA-9 Citation
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Title of the Publication. City of Publication, Publisher, Date of Publication. Special Collections: Non-Circulating California Collection, McCarthy Library, Napa Valley College, Napa, California.
(Note: This text box does not allow for a hanging indent, but you will need to include the hanging indent when you cite your source.)
(Note: the City of Publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the publisher is unknown in North America.)
Example:
Churchill, Caroline M. Over the Purple Hills or Sketches of Travel in California, Embracing All the Important Points Usually Visited by Tourists. Denver, Mrs. C. M. Churchill, 1883. Special Collections: Non-Circulating California Collection, McCarthy Library, Napa Valley College, Napa, California.
(Note that this is a self-published work, and thus the author is the publisher. She has used "Mrs. C. M. Churchill, Publisher" in order to designate herself as the publisher on the title page.)
(Note: This text box does not allow for a hanging indent, but you will need to include the hanging indent when you cite your source.)
APA-7 Citation
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name (publication date). Title of the Publication. Publisher Name. Special Collections: Non-Circulating California Collection, McCarthy Library, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA, USA.
(Note that you will need to include the hanging indent when you cite your source.)
Example:
Churchill, C. M. (1883). Over the purple hills or sketches of travel in California, embracing all the important points usually visited by tourists. Mrs. C. M. Churchill. Special Collections: Non-Circulating California Collection, McCarthy Library, Napa Valley College, Napa, California, USA.
(Note that this is a self-published work, and thus the author is the publisher. She has used "Mrs. C. M. Churchill, Publisher" in order to designate herself as the publisher on the title page.)
(Note that you will need to include the hanging indent when you cite your source.)
You will find the inventory of the collection via the tabs at the top of the page.
Compiled by: Amy Catania, PhD