Special Collections Library

Special Collections houses many forms of materials that would not last in the unprotected stacks because of their scarcity, fragility, or unique formats. Rare books, art prints and paintings, photographs, archives and manuscripts, postcards, scrapbooks, posters, films, video and audiotapes, unique maps, and blueprints are among the many types of materials in Special Collections. Some items are old, others are not; some items have considerable monetary value, others do not. Many things here have great intellectual significance as discrete items, others have value only as part of larger collections of similar materials. All have research value.

While there are a great variety of materials here, they share one common characteristic--they are for the most part primary sources. A primary source, the individual viewpoint of a participant in or observer of an event, enables a researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period. Many of our primary source materials are truly unique and can only be found here.

Consequently, Special Collections materials require extra protection to keep them available for future generations of researchers. Our stacks are not open for browsing and researchers must go through a special registration procedure in order to use the materials. Some items cannot be photocopied or scanned because of their fragility, and others may only be copied by our staff. Access to some unique materials may be restricted because of laws, policies, or donor obligations. At the same time, every researcher using Special Collections receives special treatment--a locker to keep your belongings safe, a personal interview with a member of the staff to ensure you have what you need, and materials brought to you at your seat in the reading room by a staff member.

 

Special Collections Library
104 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802
Telephone: (814) 865-7931, (814) 865-1793
Fax: (814) 863-5318

email us!