Rare Books FAQ

There are many reasons why a book may come to reside in the Rare Books Collection. Some of our books are very old or fragile and require the extra protection of a closed-stack, non-circulating collection. Others are truly rare, in the sense of being scarce and possibly irreplaceable should they be lost or damaged. Still others are very valuable, perhaps because they are first editions, are inscribed by their authors, or have some other unique characteristic. All of these types of materials need the protection and security provided in the Rare Books Collection.

But there are some books in our collection, especially in our 20th century author collections, that are not rare or particularly valuable as individual volumes. These books are in the Rare Books Collection because they are part of a special collection. A special collection is a collection of great depth in a narrowly focussed subject area. Examples of special collections within our Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection would be the W.B. Yeats collection, the Maya Angelou book collection, or the African-American poetry pamphlets collection.

The oldest book in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection is the manuscript book of sermons dating from about 1390, pictured below. The book is Italian, written by hand in Latin on vellum and parchment. Nearly every page has at least one beautifully decorated initial.

A good place to start researching the value of old books is the Your Old Books website.

The Rare Books reference collection also has several guides to book values, and our staff is happy to assist patrons in finding information about a book's likely value. We cannot give any type of formal appraisal for tax or other legal purposes, but we can provide referrals to certified appraisers.

Like most university special collections, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department keeps different hours than the library as a whole. Rare Books is a closed-stack, noncirculating collection, so there must be a staff member in the department at all times when the collection is open. Since the collection is staffed by only two librarians, it is not possible to schedule regular evening or weekend hours.

However, if a researcher finds it impossible to use the collection during our regular hours, we can usually arrange a special appointment for an evening or weekend. We ask that anyone requesting special hours contact us at least a week in advance.