A visit to the Rare Books Collection at Washington University in St. Louis

1. Rare Books
Collection
Olin Library,
Washington University
Eliot Boden
ISLT 9445
© 2011 shelf-awareness.com

2. Where is the Library?
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3. What is a Rare Book?
• Not necessarily a book • Collection includes:
• Material is significant: – Avant-garde magazines
– Age – Civil War prints
– Craftsmanship – Illuminated manuscripts
– Rarity – Children’s pop-up books
– Pertinence – Maps
© 2011 digital.wustl.edu

4. Where Do Items Come From?
• Suggested by faculty,
scholars, or hobbyists
• Purchased from private
collectors, book dealers,
and auctions
• Sometimes found within © 2011 visitannarbor.com
the library stacks
• Majority private donations
– Must be germane to library
collecting policy
© 2011 heartsandmindsbooks.com

5. Where Do Items Go?
• Closed-shelves library • Atrium exhibit space
• Climate-controlled • Ginkgo reading room
basement vault and display cases
• Uses motorized • Special Collections
compact shelving reading room
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6. Who Uses The Items?
• Faculty, students, historians,
artists, designers, librarians
– Sam Fox School of Art largest
single patron group
• Open to general public
© 2012 magazine.wustl.edu
during business hours M-F
• No appointment necessary
• Class visits often arranged
– Around 50 per year
© 2011 wustl.edu

7. Who Provides The Access?
• 1 Rare Books Curator (MLS)
– Rare Book School in Virginia
• 1 Assistant Curator
– (new, will require MLS)
• 1 Rare Books Assistant
– (has MLS, not required) © 2012 libraries.wustl.edu
• 1 part-time cataloger
• 1-2 student workers
• 1 practicum MLS student
• An “unnecessary luxury”?
© 2006 libraries.wustl.edu

8. Rare Book Librarianship Issues
• Conservation of items • Providing equal access
– Expensive – Out-of-the-way location
– Difficult – Sumptuous/lavish décor
– Invasive – Obscure function
• Formal or informal – Unfamiliar policies and
procedures
• Adopt-a-Book
• Access vs. distinction
• Preservation vs. Use
© Erin Davis

9. Digital Galleries
• Fewer galleries than other
Special Collections
– Have collaborated, esp.
with manuscript library
• Digitization on demand
– Will scan materials for
distance requests
• Exhibitions project-based
– Focus on book arts
• Help preserve materials
– Cannot replace value of
physical materials

11. Exhibits: Thomas Jefferson
• Hiding in the book stacks
– Untouched in 130 years
• TJ’s “retirement library”
– 74 volumes, 1 in English
– Jefferson a polyglot, Greek
notes in Plutarch’s Lives
– Architecture books to design
University of Virginia
• Third-largest trove of
Jefferson materials
– Attracts national scholars
© 2012 libraries.wustl.edu

12. The End

13. Further Reading
Bishop, William W. “Rare Book Rooms in Libraries.” The Library Quarterly 12.3 (1942):
375-85. JSTOR. Web. 11 July 2012.
Davis, Erin. Rare Books. St. Louis: Washington University Libraries Department of Special
Collections, 2007. Print.
Hausman, Sandy. “Students Get Up Close And Personal With Rare Books.” Weekend
Edition Sunday. NPR. WVTF, Roanoke, VA, 17 July 2011. Radio.
Potter, Susan, and Robert P. Holley. “Rare Material in Academic Libraries.” Collection
Building 29.4 (2010): 148. ProQuest. Web. 21 June 2012.
Rogers, Betsy. “A Rare & Notable Find.” Washington Magazine. Washington University in
St. Louis, 2012. Web. 12 July 2012.
Torre, Meredith. “Why Should They Not Benefit from Rare Books? Special Collections
and Shaping the Learning Experience in Higher Education.” Library Review 57.1
(2008): 36-41. ProQuest. Web. 12 July 2012.
Traister, Daniel. “Public Services and Outreach in Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Libraries.” Library Trends 52.1 (2003): 87. ProQuest. Web. 11 July 2012.
Visser, Michelle. “Considerations in the Preparation of Library Exhibits Featuring Rare
Books and Manuscripts.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 11.2 (2004): 51-62. Library,
Information Science, & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 12 July 2012.