Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library and the College of Nursing will be opening a new exhibit highlighting the life and legacy of Florence Nightingale to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her death. The exhibit will open Monday, Jan. 25, on the main level of the library.
Along with the opening, Beth Cole, dean of the College of Nursing, will be speaking that afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Library Auditorium on the first level. Her lecture will be titled “Florence Nightingale: Caring About, Caring For the Future.” This lecture will be held in conjunction with the library’s House of Learning Lecture Series. There will be a small reception after, and all events are open to the public.
Known as the “lady with a lamp” and the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale made many contributions to public health, statistics and nursing education. Manuscripts and books written by and about Nightingale from the library’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections will be on display to help visitors gain a greater understanding of Nightingale and her work.
This exhibit will showcase three letters from Nightingale, including reports that she gathered and wrote. There will be first editions of her books “Notes on Hospitals” and “Notes on Nursing.” The exhibit will also showcase an original photograph of Nightingale from 1856, her writing and notes and a story about her pet owl, Athena, written by her sister in lithography. It is one of only three copies in the United States.
Later in the semester, Barbara Dossey, a Nightingale biographer and director of Holistic Nursing Consultants in Santa Fe, N.M., will be speaking at the College of Nursing Professionalism Conference Monday, Feb. 22, at 8 a.m. in the Varsity Theatre in the Wilkinson Student Center.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Roger Layton at (801) 422-6687.
Writer: Brandon Garrett
