Arthur Jaffe

is the collection's driving force. Together with his late wife, Mata, Arthur donated the collection they built for over 50 years to FAU in 1998. Rather than being the end of something, that donation was surely a beginning, like a boulder pushed off the crest of a hill. It's been rolling and gathering speed ever since, garnering a more enthusiastic group of loyal supporters with each passing year. Arthur is a graduate of Penn State University, and was a partner in Jaffe Department Stores of Ohio and Pennsylvania before he and Mata moved to Boca Raton in the 1980s. He is here at the collection most every day (very often coming in with a new book under his arm) and loves to show books to visitors and groups.ajaffe@fau.edu

Dee Cael

is the Head of Special Collections at FAU's Wimberly Library. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University (in fact, she was here when there were more rattlesnakes on campus than students) and of Florida State University. We like to think that of all the collections Dee oversees, the Jaffe Collection has got to be her favorite. Or, at least, most entertaining. cael@fau.edu

Rita Feigenbaum

is our Ephemerist, cataloging the many thousands of pieces of ephemera we have that relate to the books in the collection. (We also affectionately refer to her as the Book Police, as she is the one who reminds us to wash our hands before handling the books.) Rita is a graduate of Skidmore College and Union College, and has had a long career in museums as curator and registrar. She's also authored two books: "American Portraits" (Union College Press) and "American Silver in the Hammerslough Collection" (Steinhour Press). feigenba@fau.edu

Seth Thompson

is our Web Designer, and also heads the daunting task of cataloging new books for the Jaffe Collection database. He's a graduate of Grinnell College. Aside from his work here, Seth is also an accomplished potter, and is one half of the partnership that makes up Convivio Bookworks, a small press in nearby Lake Worth. thompson@fau.edu

John Cutrone

is the other half of the Convivio Bookworks partnership, and comes to the Jaffe Collection as a letterpress printer, bookbinder and papermaker. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and of the Book Arts program at the University of Alabama. Here at the Jaffe Collection, he finds himself teaching classes, assisting researchers, arranging workshops, installing exhibits and writing newsletters--essentially, whatever needs doing. jcutrone@fau.edu