Member Profiles

Monday-Friday (except holidays), 1-4:30 p.m. by appointment only 

• Library information or to make an appointment:  215-299-1040, library@ansp.org
• Archives information or to make an appointment:  215-299-1140, archives@ansp.org

The Library was established at the Academy's founding in 1812. It is today one of the world's major natural science research facilities. Its 200,000 volumes include classics of pre-Linnean natural history, major journals (and many obscure ones); most of the grand illustrated folios from Catesby, Redouté, Audubon, and Gould to D.G. Elliot, Bateman, and Sibthorp; and the basic works in systematic and taxonomic biology. Other strengths include geology, evolution, ecology, marine biology, and comparative biochemistry.

The Manuscript Collections contain correspondence, field notes, journals, illustrations, and photographs accumulated by persons and organizations variously related to the Academy. Expedition literature is one of many topics that cross the boundary between print and manuscripts. It ranges from printed accounts of the earliest voyages through manuscript diaries, illustrations, and maps of the Academy's expeditions from 1817 to the present, and from Florida to Ecuador, Greenland to Tibet.

The depth of the Library's collections makes it possible to conduct research on a topic from the earliest printed information to the latest computerized database, and to supplement that information with original manuscript and graphic material.

Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM

• Martin L. Levitt, Librarian, 215-440-3403, mlevitt AT amphilsoc DOT org (PACSCL rep)
• Marian L. Christ, Head Cataloguer, 215-440-3407, mchrist AT amphilsoc DOT org
• Anne E. Downey, Head of Conservation, 215-440-3412, adowney AT amphilsoc DOT org
• Roy E. Goodman, Curator of Printed Mtls., 215-440-3408, rgoodman AT amphilsoc DOT org
• Charles B. Greifenstein, Manuscripts Librarian, 215-440-3404, cgreifenstein AT amphilsoc DOT org
• Richard Shrake, Assistant Librarian for Technology & Security, rshrake AT amphilsoc DOT org

The oldest learned society in the United States, the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743.The APS has played an important role in the cultural life of the nation for nearly two-and-one-half centuries and has been particularly prominent in support of the sciences.

The Society first began acquiring books and manuscripts in the 1770s, and today its Library is one of the principal institutions in the United States for study of the history of science. It has extensive collections in several areas in the history of science, most notably in genetics and eugenics, evolutionary biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, quantum theory and other areas in twentieth century physics, as well as important holdings in the history of American anthropology (particularly Native American languages and cultures), for American history generally prior to 1860, and for Benjamin Franklin and his circle. The American Philosophical Society cares for approximately eight million manuscripts, 300,000 volumes, and numerous historically important scientific artifacts.

Monday to Friday 9:00-5:00

• Sandra Tatman, Executive Director, 215-925-2688, sltatman@philaathenaeum.org
• Roger W. Moss, Executive Director Emeritus, rwmoss@philaathenaeum.org
• Bruce Laverty, Curator of the Architectural Collection, 215-925-2688, laverty@philaathenaeum.org
• Eileen Magee, Assistant Director, 215-925-2688, magee@philaathenaeum.org
• Jill LeMin Lee , Bibliographer, jilly@philaathenaeum.org

The Athenaeum was founded in 1814 and for more than 185 years has been collecting materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts." As an independent research library with museum collections, the Athenaeum focuses on American cultural history for the period 1814-1914. Its architecture and interior design collections for this period are nationally significant.

The Athenaeum's collections divide into the 100,000-volume research library; the architectural archive consisting of more than 180,000 drawings, 300,000 photographs, and 1,000,000 manuscript items representing the work of more than 2,000 American architects and firms; and the fine and decorative arts collection. The collection is fully catalogued; a published catalogue to the drawing collection is available in most research libraries. The Athenaeum's cataloging records are available from RLIN and will shortly be available from its new online catalog, Athena.

The Athenaeum is housed in a National Historical Landmark building near Independence Hall, which is open for tours and research by appointment. The building is furnished with fine and decorative arts of the period 1800-1850. The Athenaeum sponsors historical and educational activities including lectures, concerts, and exhibitions. It publishes books on aspects of 19th-century culture and provides awards and research grants for outstanding literary achievement and scholarship in architectural history.

Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Additional hours during the academic year for books, manuscripts, and archives: Wednesday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

Eric Pumroy, Seymour Adelman Director of Special Collections, 610-526-5272, epumroy@brynmawr.edu

Marianne Hansen, Special Collections Librarian. 610-526-5289, mhansen@brynmawr.edu.

Lorett Treese, Archivist. 610-526-5285, ltreese@brynmawr.edu.

Barbara Ward Grubb, Visual Collections Specialist. 610-526-7393, bgrubb@brynmawr.edu.

Emily Croll, Curator / Academic Liaison for Art and Artifacts. (610) 526-5335. 

Marianne Weldon, Collections Manager. (610) 526-5022.

The Rare Book Collection, containing approximately 40,000 volumes, supports the College's teaching programs. The Goodhart Library of more than 1,000 incunabula provides texts for studying the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. The Castle Collection includes works in botany and ornithology. Together with the Adelman Collection it affords opportunities for the study of graphic arts. The Adelman Collection is rich in materials of Keats and his circle, A.E. Housman and Ralph Hodgson, Claud Lovat Fraser, Thomas and Susan Macdowell Eakins, and Americana.

The Manuscript Collection is strong in women's studies and British and American literary history. It includes the papers of Bryn Mawr president M. Carey Thomas, Carrie Chapman Catt, 1,200 letters of Marianne Moore, and correspondence of The New Yorker editor Katharine S. White. Manuscript holdings include a group of medieval and renaissance codices, includingbooks of hours. These collections are supported by a graphics collection ranging from the 15th century to the present, including 7,300 prints, 3,500 drawings, and 13,000 vintage photographs.

The Bryn Mawr College Archives serves as a research and security repository for the official administrative and historical records of the College, the professional and personal papers of faculty, administrators, and alumnae, and unique or ephemeral items reflecting other aspects of the history of the College. Holdings include the College Presidents' papers; College and student publication; minutes of faculty, trustee, and student organizations; reports, programs, and calendars; student notebooks, diaries, scrapbooks, and correspondence; biographical files for deceased alumnae. A substantial photograph collection, numbering some 6,500 prints of which one-fifth date from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, includes group and individual portraits as well as photographs of buildings, classes, sports, May Day festivities, and other College events.

The Ethnographic Arts Collection is comprised of objects from around the world. Important holdings include ethnographic material from North, Central and South America, the Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld’53 Collection of African and Oceanic Art; the Twyeffort-Hollenback Collection of Southwest Pottery and Native American Ethnography, the George and Anna Hawks Vaux '35, M.A. ‘41 Collection of Native American Basketry; and pieces collected in Oceania by former Anthropology professor Dr. Jane Goodale. The extensive body of material includes masks, figures, headdresses, beadwork, and textiles. The Asian Art Collection includes Chinese, Korean and Japanese folk art, screens, scrolls, porcelains, lacquer ware, terracottas, bronzes, wood and stone artifacts of the Helen B. Chapin ‘25 Collection, and imperial Japanese art and artifacts from the Elizabeth Gray Vining ’23 Collection.

The Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology Collection includes over 6,000 objects from the ancient Mediterranean world, primarily Greece and Italy, but also the Near East, Egypt, Cyprus, and the Bronze Age Aegean area. The focus of this collection is on Greek and Roman minor arts, especially vases. The collection was formed from private donations such as the Densmore Curtis Collection presented by Clarissa Compton Dryden, ’32, MA ’35, the Elisabeth Washburn King ’17, MA ’37 Collection of classical Greek coins, and the Aline Abaecherli Boyce (MA ’28, Ph.D ’32) Collection of Roman Republican silver coins. In addition, the late Professor Hetty Goldman gave an extensive series of pottery samples from the excavation at Tarsus in Cilicia

The Decorative and Applied Arts Collection is represented in the rugs, furniture, tiles, silver and other metalwork, glass and applied arts (removed from College buildings) seen on campus.

The Bryn Mawr College Geology Department has one of the finest collections of minerals from Pennsylvania and around the world. Donor include the Department's founder, Florence Bascom, Theodore Rand, and the family of George Vaux, Jr., who gave his collection of over 8000 specimens to the College. Many of the minerals are on exhibit in 28 hall cases in the Park Science Center

Monday–Friday, 10:00 A.M.–4:00 P.M.

Researchers are encouraged to contact staff to make an appointment in advance of a visit. All researchers must provide a photo ID upon arrival

• Ronald Brashear, Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library, 215-873-8284 rbrashear@chemheritage.org (PACSCL Rep)
• Elsa B. Atson, Director of Library Services, 215-873-8205, elsaa@chemheritage.org (PACSCL Alternate Rep)
• Ashley Augustyniak, Assistant Librarian/ Fellowship Coordinator, 215-873-8269, aaugustyniak@chemheritage.org
• Robert Hull, Digital Librarian, 215-873-8229, rhull@chemheritage.org
• Andrea Tomlinson, Technical Services Manager, 215-873-8257, andreat@chemheritage.org
• James Voelkel, Rare Book Curator, 215-873-8271, jvoelkel@chemheritage.org

Chemical Heritage Foundation's (CHF) Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History, created in 1988, encompasses the history of the chemical sciences and industries. The library is a product of the vision and generosity of Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer, and it has a unique emphasis: the history of chemical achievement. The Othmer Library's holdings include more than 130,000 volumes of monographs, reference works, rare books, and professional journals published from 1478 to the present.

The Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, a collection in the Othmer Library of Chemical History, represents one of the richest single deposits of books on the history of chemistry in the world. Roughly 6,000 titles in all, the Neville collection dates from the late 15th century to the early 20th century and includes many of the most important works in the history of science and technology from this period. Many of the works written before 1800 are especially rare, and some 400 titles are unique to the collection. Important manuscript materials, dissertations, and pamphlets complement the books and serials in the collection, which also includes several documents previously unknown or thought lost.

CHF's archives include an image archives collection comprises some 200 framed pieces of artwork ranging from oil portraits to lithographs, plus over 10,000 images in all photographic formats, including the William Haynes' collection of 1,500 photographs from his six-volume work The American Chemical Industry. CHF holds the personal papers of such innovators as Paul Flory, Carl Marvel, and Donald Othmer, and the unpublished records of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Chemists’ Club, and several other organizations. The instrument and artifacts collection features hundreds of 20th-century chemical instruments. Artifacts range from awards, scrapbooks, and some of the first preproduction nylon stockings to early batteries, glassware, and apparatus.

Tues-Sat 10:00-5:00.

• Diane P. Rofini, Librarian, drofini@chestercohistorical.org

Founded in 1893, the collections document all aspects of Chester County's past. Chester County Historical Society administers the Chester County Archives, www.chesco.org/archives

Monday through Friday 8:30-5:00, except holidays

Contact Archives staff at the numbers listed above, or send e-mail to records.info@phila.gov

The City Archives is the official historical memory of the City of Philadelphia. Within its 20,000 cubic feet of holdings may be found records that appeal to a very wide spectrum of interests.

In addition to providing reference to various City departments, the City Archives has been a resource for graduate and undergraduate students, persons preparing doctoral dissertations and scholarly publications. Its holdings have been of especial interest to social historians. For persons doing research on the City's under classes, records of the Alms House and its successor, Philadelphia General Hospital, 1751-late 1940s; of the County Prisons 1790-1948, and of the City and County criminal courts, 1750s to 1874, are especially fertile fields for research. Records of county taxes, 1773-1851, may be used for determining the economic and class structure of the City and its surrounding districts, townships and boroughs. Tax records and land records are valuable sources for research on capital accumulation. Records of the City surveyors, road records of the Court of Quarter Sessions, and records of the City Council's Watering Committee and of the City's Water Department are invaluable for tracing the development of the City's infrastructure. Minutes and files of the its Board of Health and Health Department record efforts to control disease in an urban setting. The records of the City Planning Commission and of the Department of Licenses and Inspections, its efforts to control urban blight while the Records of the Department of Public Welfare (now Human Services) show the City's efforts to deal with the human consequences of urban blight.

The City Archives is also a magnet for genealogical researchers. In fact, the most frequent users of the City Archives are patrons who are interested in their family history or who are professional genealogists doing research for others. The City Archives holds the earliest and longest continuous run of birth and death records of any political
subdivision in the Commonwealth. Registrations of birth and death records begin on July 1, 1860 and continue to June 30, 1915 However, there are also a cubic foot of late registrations filed under an 1867 supplement to the vital statistics act which include births dating back to 1829; and an earlier form of death record known as a cemetery return which date from 1806 to June 30, 1860. The City Archives holds marriage records from July 1, 1860 to December 31, 1885 for which we issue certificates and copies of marriages from the Orphans Court Division that date from 1886 to 1915. It also holds naturalizations of the City and County Courts for the periods 1794-1904 and 1914-1930. Other records which would be of interest to genealogical researchers include Police roster and roll books for the period 1854-1925, deeds of Philadelphia County, 1683-1952; mortgages of Philadelphia County, 1736-1963; city directories, 1785-1930, 1935-1936; Department of Personnel, roster cards; and records of Blockley Almshouse and the County prisons.

A sampling of the Archives' more than two million photographs may be searched online from the City's award-winning site, http://www.phillyhistory.org.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10:00 am - 4:00 pm by appointment.

• George M. Wohlreich, M.D., Director & CEO, gwohlreich@collphyphil.org (PACSCL rep)
• Robert D. Hicks, PhD, Director, Mütter Museum/Historical Library, Measey Chair for the History of Medicine, ext. 294, rhicks@collphyphil.org
• Joan McKenzie, Technical Services Librarian, ext. 256,
  jmckenzie@collphyphil.org
• Sofie Sereda, Library & Public Services Administrative Assistant, ext. 232, sereda@collphyphil.org,
• Sharon Lutes, Services Clerk, ext. 223, sdlutes@collphyphil.org

The College of Physicians was founded in 1787 and its library in 1788. Following a period of relative dormancy, the College was revitalized in the mid-nineteenth century, and the Library began an important period of growth around the time of the Civil War. From then until well into the post-World War II period the College Library was one of the four great medical libraries in the U.S. and the central medical library of the Delaware Valley. Through gifts, bequests, and dedicated purchase funds the Library also became a great medical rare book library, and in 1953 a Historical Collections department was established. During the second half of the twentieth century, the world of medical librarianship was transformed throughout the country, as society libraries like the College's declined in importance relative to the rapidly growing academic medical center libraries. Recognizing that the libraries of the regional medical schools had grown significantly and largely replaced the College Library as providers of the current clinical and biomedical literature, in 1996 College governance formally designated the Library as a "Historical Library." The entire library therefore took on the character of what had been the Historical Collections department.

The College Library holds more than 375,000 medical books and journals published through the late twentieth century. More than 400 are incunabula and 12,000 are pre-1801 imprints. There are strong holdings in anatomy, dermatology, neurology, pathology, and ophthalmology, and particularly rich collections on homeopathy, tuberculosis, and yellow fever. Manuscripts include medieval illuminated manuscripts, hundreds of 18th and 19th-century student lecture notes, and papers of leaders of American medicine, such as Robley Dunglison, George Bacon Wood, S. Weir Mitchell, Joseph Leidy, and William W. Keen. The records and archives of medical societies, organizations, and institutions, both extinct and extant, local and national, constitute a major resource for the scholar. The archives of the College of Physicians itself are especially important, for the College has addressed a variety of professional and community concerns since its founding. The College Library also maintains a research level collection of current scholarship in history of medicine.

Wednesday-Friday 10:00-4:00, by appointment only.

Rachael DiEleuterio, Librarian, (302) 571-9590 ext. 540, rdieleuterio@delart.org

The Helen Farr Sloan Library and Archives houses over 38,000 volumes that include monographs, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, reference works, and extensive vertical files relating to individual artists, and over 2,000 linear feet of archives.  The scope of the Library reflects the Museum's permanent art collection, with a focus on Howard Pyle and American Illustration, John Sloan, and the Pre-Raphaelites. 

Materials documenting Pennsylvania-German culture, the classics, the natural sciences, exploration, the United States Civil War, Benjamin Franklin, and the history of Franklin and Marshall College.

Mon-Fri 9-5

• James DeWalt, Department Head (PACSCL Rep.), 215-686-5416 dewaltj@freelibrary.org
• Janine Pollock, Assistant Department Head, 215-686-5417, pollockj@freelibrary.org
• Katharine Chandler, Reference Librarian, 215-546-5416, chandlerk@freelibrary.org

The Rare Book Department is one of the largest among public libraries in the United States. Its holdings span a period of over 4,000 years and number about 100,000 books and manuscripts. The Library's first gift of rare book was received in 1899, when the institution was only five years old. Others followed through the years and in 1949 the bequest of the entire private library of William McIntire Elkins, together with the paneled room which housed it, led to the opening of the Rare Book Department.

The collections include Sumerian cuneiform tablets; illuminated manuscripts of Europe and the Near East; incunabula; editions of the works of Horace; books and manuscripts illustrative of the development of the Common Law; Americana; manuscripts, letters and printed works of Oliver Goldsmith, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe; early American children's books including the publications of the American Sunday School Union; Pennsylvania-German Fraktur and printed books; and original drawings and books illustrated by Beatrix Potter, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, A.B. Frost, Robert Lawson, Munro Leaf, and Howard Pyle and his students.

The library houses more than 70,000 volumes; three-quarters are in German. The collections also include German-American newspapers and a German-American archive documenting life in the United States since 1683.

(Associate Member)

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except certain national holidays. The library building is also open on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Geoffrey Halfpenny, Director
• Terry Snyder, Deputy Director, Library Administration, (PACSCL Rep.), tsnyder@hagley.org
• Susan Hengel, Head, Imprints Dept., shengel@hagley.org
• Jon Williams, Head, Pictorial Collections and Audiovisual Services, jwilliams@hagley.org
• Lynn Catanese, Curator of Manuscripts, lcatanese@hagley.org
• Linda Gross, Reference Librarian
• Brad Oftelie, Cataloger
• Lisa Schilling, Cataloger
• Barbara Hall, Archival Asst., Pictorial Collections
• Christopher Baer, Asst. Curator, Manuscript Collections
• Marjorie McNinch, Reference Archivist

Founded in 1953 by Pierre S. du Pont as the Longwood Library and merged with the Hagley Museum in 1961, the library houses an important collection of manuscripts, photographs, books, and pamphlets documenting the history of American business and technology. It's main strength is in the Middle Atlantic region but includes business organizations and companies with national and international impact.

The library's 196,000 volumes and 12,000 microforms include books and serials, pamphlets, maps and atlases, city directories, theses, government documents, company annual reports, stockholder and employee magazines, advertising literature, public relations pieces, a collection of more than 20,000 trade catalogs, guidebooks and catalogs for the great international expositions, and the Guttman Collection of pyrotechnics. Its 25,000 linear feet of manuscript contain the records of more than 1,000 firms and the entrepreneurs who build them, as well as the records of national business organizations. Noteworthy collections include the business and personal papers of the Du Pont Company and family, the Philadelphia and Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads, the Sun Company, Bethlehem Steel, the Philadelphia National Bank, Sperry-Univac, and the Sperry Gyroscope Company. Pictorial collections ranging in size from one image to more than 100,000 include formats from daguerreotypes to Polaroid prints, lithographs and engravings, and videotapes.

Spring and fall term: Monday - Friday 9 am - 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm. Consult website for special hours outside spring and fall terms.

• John Anderies, Coordinator for Collections & Head of Special Collections (PACSCL Rep), 610-896-2948, janderie@haverford.edu
• Bruce Bumbarger, Library Conservator, 610-896-1165, bbumbarg@haverford.edu
• David Conners, Digital Collections Librarian, 610-896-4982, dconners@haverford.edu
• Emma Lapsansky-Werner, Curator of the Quaker Collection, 610-896-1274, elapsans@haverford.edu
• Diana Franzusoff Peterson, Manuscripts Librarian & College Archivist, 610-896-1284, dfpeters@haverford.edu
• Ann W. Upton, Quaker Bibliographer & Special Collections Librarian, 610-896-1161, aupton@haverford.edu

Haverford College Special Collections is responsible for maintaining the college’s unique and rare materials. The principle collections include the world-renowned Quaker Collection, college archives, rare books and manuscripts, and fine art. The Quaker Collection consists of some 35,000 printed volumes and 300,000 manuscripts. Holdings span the history of Quakerism from 17th-century Britain to the present day in many parts of the world. Materials include the Jenks Collection of early books and pamphlets, meeting records, organization and family papers, journals and diaries, English and American Quaker serials, audiovisual materials, and a comprehensive collection of Quaker fiction. The college archives consist of published and unpublished documents, graphics, photography, artifacts, and audiovisual materials that document the history and operations of Haverford College from its founding in 1833 to present. Rare books cover all fields of knowledge with particular strengths in literature (particularly Shakespeare and the works that influenced him), natural history, science, and American history. Non-Quaker manuscripts include such collections as the Charles Roberts Autograph Letter Collection which is comprised of some 20,000 letters from a wide variety of authors, and the J. Rendel Harris “Oriental” Manuscript Collection of 13th- through 19th-century Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian and Ethiopic scrolls and codices. Finally, we maintain the college’s collection of art including 3,000 fine art photographs ranging the history of the genre, hundreds of prints by European, American and Asian artists, numerous oil paintings, sculpture, and Ancient Greek, Middle Eastern, and African artifacts.

• Monday Closed
• Tuesday 12:30-5:30 (last admittance at 4:45 p.m.)
• Wednesday 12:30-8:30 (last admittance at 7:45 p.m.)
• Thursday 12:30-5:30 (last admittance at 4:45 p.m.)
• Friday 10:00-5:30 (last admittance at 4:45 p.m.)

• Kim Sajet, President, 215-732-6200, ext. 214, pres@hsp.org
• Lee Arnold, Director of the Library and Collections (PACSCL alt. rep), 215-732-6200, ext. 237, larnold@hsp.org
• Matthew Lyons, Director of Archives and Collections Management (PACSCL rep), 215-732-6200, ext. 301, mlyons@hsp.org
• David Haugaard, Director of Research Services, 215-732-6200 ext. 219, dhaugaard@hsp.org
• Jacqueline Taddonio, Director of Cataloging, 215-732-6200, ext. 206, jtaddonio@hsp.org
• Daniel Rolph, Family Historian & Head of Reference Services, 215-732-6200, ext. 203, drolph@hsp.org
• Sarah Heim, Research Services Librarian, 215-732-6200, ext. 261, sheim@hsp.org

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) maintains approximately 560,000 volumes: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are special strengths, but included are primary and secondary source materials for the original thirteen states. The Library holds extensive Philadelphia and Pennsylvania newspapers, 1718-present (hard copy and film); collections of Pennsylvania authors; and Pennsylvania imprints (English, German, and Welsh). Other rare, pre-1820 Americana is housed at The Library Company of Philadelphia. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania also holds twenty million manuscript items, including Penn and Logan family archives; regional family and business papers; extensive autograph collections of American and European notables; 35,000 prints and maps, 1650-1986, especially Delaware Valley region; 20,000 watercolors and drawings, 1700-1900, including Benjamin West, William and Thomas Birch, Augustus Köllner, and David J. Kennedy; 250,000 photographs, 1838-1987, mostly southeastern Pennsylvania; and thousands of broadsides, sheet music, and ephemera.

The collections of The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, which merged with the Historical Society in 2002, complement the Society's holdings on ethnic and immigration material. The Balch built major research collections for a surprisingly large number of individual groups: long runs of African-American, Chinese, Czech, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak newspapers; and significant holdings of Yiddish and Ukrainian literature, along with smaller but noteworthy Swedish and Norwegian collections. Its manuscripts and print sources on Japanese-American relocation during World War II are unique for an east coast repository, and its resources for a number of groups, including Germans, Greeks, Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles, Slovaks, and Welsh are among the best in the country. In addition, it has smaller but important and growing archival collections for many other groups. A few examples include African-Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Lithuanians, Puerto Ricans, Swedes and Ukrainians.

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP) entered into a Strategic Alliance with the Historical Society in 2006.  All of GSP's collections are now at HSP and the two societies share a members' newsletter (Sidelights) and work cooperatively on joint programming.

Library, Archives and Museum. The J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library at Independence Seaport Museum is a regional maritime research center, offering resources that document Philadelphia's relationship with its rivers and the greater Delaware River Valley. 

The Library houses more than 12,000 volumes, 9,000 ship plans and a significant collection of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and charts.  Collection strengths include naval science and architecture, area shipyards, nautical instrument manufacture, early U.S. Navy, port development, seamen's welfare and education. The collection spans from the late eighteenth century to the present.  

Our holdings are cataloged on OCLC's WorldCat, available via FirstSearch or WorldCat.org.  More detailed information on some archival collections, such as manuscripts and photographs, are available on our website.

John S. Baky, Director of Libraries, baky@lasalle.edu

In addition to standard library fare, the Connelly Library at La Salle University also offers a series of special collections, which have been put together to facilitate the in-depth study of a number of topics:

First and foremost among these is the Imaginative Representations of the Vietnam War collection, which, with more than 18,000 archived materials including 1200 novels, 2000 pieces of graphic art, and 1600 films, stands as the largest collection of its kind in the world. In a similarly related vein, we also offer two other primarily print-based collections entitled Imaginative Representations of the Holocaust and Imaginative Representations of Trauma. The materials archived in these three collections present a unique opportunity to witness and study the manner in which a culture’s perceptions and imaginative renderings of traumatic events, such as the Holocaust and Vietnam War, alter and continue to inform how those events are viewed years later.

Correlating nicely with the extensive collection of Vietnam War materials, we also offer the Life and Times of Bob Dylan collection, which contains about 1000 items, including biographies, printed music, lyrics, journals, numerous Ph.D. dissertations, and every known example of his recorded music in every format, and is believed to be the largest such collection in the country at an academic institution.

The library’s Special Collections also houses the Susan Dunleavy Collection of Biblical Literature, which was developed as a memorial to the life of a member of the La Salle community. The collection originally focused on early Bible illustration, particularly 16th century woodcut Bibles, but its aim was broadened over time to include other rare items, such as the first Bible printed in English (Coverdale, 1535), and “Breeches,” including the King James Bible (1611).

The remaining collections speak more specifically to La Salle’s Heritage and the history of the surrounding area. The Owen Wister collection houses a wide variety of materials dedicated to the life, works, and correspondence of well–known author and prominent Philadelphian, Owen Wister. Being the 3rd largest collection of Wisteriana in the world, our collection is aptly located, as the Belfield estate, a one-time residence of the Wister family, makes up a prominent portion of the La Salle Campus. This estate—serving today as the official residence of the Presidents of La Salle University—was originally owned by Charles Willson Peale, an American painter, who is the subject another collection entitled the Peale Family Papers, which consists of thousands of family documents now kept in microform. And finally, also associated with Belfield, we offer a collection of over 250 books, articles, and journals concerning the Art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony that was performed in the tea house built upon the estate grounds.

The Library Company is free and open to the public.

Library Hours

Reading room and gallery: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., weekdays

Print room: by appointment only

The Library Company is closed on the following holidays:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 21

Presidents’ Day - Monday, February 18

Good Friday - Friday, March 21

Memorial Day - Monday, May 26

Independence Day - Friday, July 4

Labor Day - Monday, September 1

Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 27 & Friday, November 28

Christmas - Thursday, December 25th & Friday, December 26

Contact Information

General Information: (215) 546-3181

Reading Room: (215) 546-2465

Print Room: (215) 546-8229

Fax: (215) 546-5167

Location

Locust Street, between Broad Street and 13th Street in Center City Philadelphia, a few blocks from City Hall and one block east of the Academy of Music. There are several parking lots nearby. (View Map)

SEPTA's bus routes 23, 42, 76, D, and C, its Broad Street subway, the PATCO high-speed line to New Jersey all have stops close by. The Market Street East commuter rail station (with connections to AMTRAK's 30th Street Station and the airport) is four blocks to the north.

Administration:

Director: Dr. John C. Van Horne, jcvh@librarycompany.org 

Librarian: James N. Green, jgreen@librarycompany.org 

Development Assistant: Erika Haglund, ehaglund@librarycompany.org

Publicity, Events, & Program Coordinator; Debbie Shapiro, dshapiro@librarycompany.org

Information Technology Manager: Nicole H. Scalessa, nscalessa@librarycompany.org 

Curator of African American History: Phil Lapsansky, phil@librarycompany.org 

Accountant: Sue Lee, slee@librarycompany.org 

Receptionist: Charlene Knight, cknight@librarycompany.org 

Reading Room:

Chief of Reference: Cornelia S. King, cking@librarycompany.org 

Reference Librarian: Rachel D’Agostino, rdagostino@librarycompany.org

Reference Librarian: Linda August, laugust@librarycompany.org

Print & Photograph Department:

Curator of Prints & Photographs: Sarah Weatherwax, printroom@librarycompany.org 

Associate Curator of Prints & Photographs: Jenny Ambrose, ambrose@librarycompany.org 

Senior Curatorial Associate: Erika Piola, epiola@librarycompany.org 

Print Department Assistant: Linda Wisniewski, repros@librarycompany.org 

Curatorial Assistant: Charlene Peacock , cpeacock@librarycompany.org 

Cataloging Department

Chief Cataloger & Systems Librarian: Ruth Hughes, hughes@librarycompany.org 

Cataloger: Holly Phelps, hphelps@librarycompany.org 

Conservation:

Chief of Conservation: Jennifer W. Rosner, bindery@librarycompany.org 

Conservator: Andrea Krupp, bindery@librarycompany.org 

Conservator: Alice Austin, bindery@librarycompany.org 

Maintenance & Security:

Chief of Maintenance & Security: Al Dallasta, adallasta@librarycompany.org 

Volunteers:

Louise Beardwood

Ann Condon

Selma P. Kessler

The Library Company of Philadelphia is an independent research library with collections documenting every aspect of the history and background of American culture from the colonial period to the Civil War. A rare book collection of national importance, its holdings number 500,000 books, 75,000 graphics, and 150,000 manuscripts.

The Library Company was founded by Benjamin Franklin and a group of friends in 1731 as a subscription library. It is the only major colonial American library that survives virtually intact.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Library Company collected books, newspapers, pamphlets, and prints reflecting all the varied interests of its learned and cosmopolitan clientele. These materials have now been reorganized to form an unparalleled collection of primary research materials. The collection is continually augmented by significant gifts and purchases. The following areas receive particular attention: Afro-Americana; American science, technology, architecture, agriculture, natural history, education, philanthropy, and medicine; German Americana; American Judaica; Philadelphia area history; the history of printing, book collecting, and reading; the women's rights movement; household and family life; and printmaking, mapmaking, and photography in Philadelphia.

Click here to learn more about The Library Company.

Click here to become a member online.

Click here to purchase a gift share online.

SUMMER LIBRARY HOURS

(May 20, 2008 - September 3, 2008)

Monday - Friday -- 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Saturday & Sunday

Consult website for hours at other times

• Karl Krueger, Library Director (PACSCL rep), kkrueger@ltsp.edu
• John Peterson, Archivist, 215-248-6383, mtairyarchives@ltsp.edu

While the Krauth Memorial Library has over 193,000 volumes, the Rare Book Collection includes 18,000 volumes, fifteen incunabula, three Books of Hours, and twenty-five cuneiform tablets. Collection strengths are the 16th-century Lutheran Reformation, Continental Pietism, 18th-century works in theology ad philosophy, liturgical studies, and 19th-century American Lutheran periodicals.

The seminary campus is also home to the Lutheran Archives.

Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Second Saturday each month, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M

Reference Desk: 215.606.0110.  philadelphia.archives@nara.gov

The National Archives Mid Atlantic Region is one of 14 Regional programs of the nation's official record keeper, the National Archives and Records Administration.  These Regional programs, together with the Presidential Libraries and the Washington, D.C.-based programs, preserve and make accessible the historically significant evidence of America's national experience from the first Continental Congress to modern times. In trust for the American people and open to the public, the National Archives enables every citizen to inspect for themselves the record evidence of the American democracy.

The Mid-Atlantic Region holds over 110 million individual historicaly significant records, in paper and other media, for over 80 federal agencies and the district courts in the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as copies of selected microfilmed records for the entire country. As Philadelphia was the nation's capital from 1790 through 1800, these regional records are singularly important in understanding the development of the federal government, as the Constitution evolved from parchment into a network of agencies and programs.  Court cases are among the richest holdings.  Holdings cover institutions such as the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the Merchant Marines, the National Park Service, NASA's Langley Research Center, the DuPont Company, Coca Cola, and Good Humor; subjects such as intellectual property (trademarks, copyrights and patents), treason, fugitive slaves, free speech, freedom of assembly, immigration and citizenship, numismatics, domestic and international trade, Civil War, and freedom of religion; and individuals from Patrick Henry, Robert Morris, Robert E. Lee through Thomas Edison, and Thurgood Marshall.

In support of NARA's strategic goal of civic literacy, the Mid Atlantic Regional supports several Teaching American History grant-funded projects, and National History Day.

9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday. Special collections -- by appointment only.

• Janet Evans, Library Manager (PACSCL Rep.), 215-988-8779, jevans@pennhort.org
• Elena Sisti, Information Services Librarian, 215-988-8782, esisti@pennhort.org
• Jude Robison, Conservation Technician, 215-988-8781, jrobison@pennhort.org
• Priscilla Becroft, Senior Assistant, 215-988-8772, pbecroft@pennhort.org
• Elinor Goff, Library Aide, 215-988-8782, egoff@pennhort.org 

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a private, non-profit organization, headquartered in downtown Philadelphia. Formed shortly after PHS's founding in 1827, the McLean Library reflects American horticultural trends both historically and currently. It serves the needs of amateur and professional horticulturists, landscape architects, garden historians, and researchers. It is used by the public and by the Society's members and volunteers. The collection supports the horticultural and urban greening activities of the staff.

The Delaware Valley is known as "America's Gateway to Gardens" and has a long tradition of intense interest in gardens and arboreta of every size and kind. The library's Pennsylvania Collection reflects the Mid-Atlantic region's horticultural history. The McLean Library houses a rich collection of Delaware Valley seed and nursery catalogs, 1860-1950. The Mary Helen Wingate Lloyd Collection consists of significant European and American gardening imprints from the 16th-20th centuries. The library houses the archives of the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Society, as well as the archives of local gardening concerns such as the Rittenhouse Flower Market, and local garden club activities. The library also houses nearly 30,000 images of the Philadelphia Flower Show, pre-World War II estate gardens of the Philadelphia area, and garden and landscape images from around the world, 1930's-1960's.

Library: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed: Sunday-Monday. Also closed: November 27-29 and December 25-27, 2008; January 1-3, 2009.

Archives: Tuesday-Friday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Appointments are required.

• C. Danial Elliott, Arcadia Director of the Library and Archives (PACSCL Rep), 215-684-7651, delliott@philamuseum.org
• Mary Wassermann, Librarian for Collection Development, 215-684-7654, mwassermann@philamuseum.org
• Susan K. Anderson, Archivist, 215-684-7659, skanderson@philamuseum.org
• Linda Martin Schaff, Librarian for Technical Services, 215-684-7655, lschaff@philamuseum.org
• Evan B. Towle, Librarian for Reader Services, 215-684-7645, etowle@philamuseum.org
• Bertha Adams, Project Archivist, 215-684-7643, badams@philamuseum.org
• Mihyun Kim, East Asian Languages Cataloger, 215-684-7647, mkim@philamuseum.org
• Jesse Trbovich, Library Assistant, 215-684-7656, jtrbovich@philamuseum.org
• Scott Radway, Library Specialist, 215-684-7657, sradway@philamuseum.org
• Ryan McNally, Library and Visual Resources Assistant, 215-684-7653, rmcnally@philamuseum.org

Library--Founded in 1876, the Philadelphia Museum of Art was the first American art museum to establish a library at its opening, thanks to the foresight of its founders, who recognized the importance of such a resource to the institution's educational and research mission. Today, the Museum's Library is one of the major art reference repositories in the United States, housing approximately 200,000 books, auction catalogues, and periodicals dating from the sixteenth century to the present. Reflecting the Museum's rich and distinctive collections, the Library's holdings focus on European, American, and Asian painting and sculpture; furniture and decorative arts; arms and armor; costume and textiles; prints, drawings, and photographs; and modern and contemporary art. Appointments to use the Library are not required. 

Archives--The mission of the Archives is to collect, preserve, and make available non-current records of enduring value for the institution. Its 1,800 linear feet of materials are the primary source of information relating to the Museum's history, including past exhibitions activities, events, and interactions with significant figures and organizations in the world of art. The Archives also holds records relating to affiliated organizations both past and present, such as the former 69th Street Branch Museum and the Rodin Museum, as well as several important manuscript collections that relate in some way to the institution's history, including the papers of artists, collectors, and scholars. Appointments to use the Archives are required. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Albert M. Greenfield Visual and Digital Resources Center--Consisting of 200,000 digtial images and slides, the Center supports the teaching and research needs of Museum staff. Members of the public are welcome to consult images in the Center, but copyright restrictions limit their use to Museum programs and activities.

Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30

• Frederick Heuser, Director, fheuser@history.pcusa.org
• Margery Sly, Deputy Director (PACSCL rep), msly@history.pcusa.org , 215-928-3896
• Margo Szabunia, Manager, Technical Services, mszabunia@history.pcusa.org
• Anne Ostendarp, Manager, Public Services and Outreach, aostendarp@history.pcusa.org
• Eileen Sklar, Reference Archivist, esklar@history.pcusa.org
• Bridget Clancy, Reference Librarian, bclancy@history.pcusa.org
• Leah Gass, Reference Archivist, lgass@history.pcusa.org
• Nancy Taylor, Records Archivist, ntaylor@history.pcusa.org
• Bill Brock, Collection Management Archivist, wbrock@history.pcusa.org
• Eileen Rojas, Director of Development, erojas@history.pcusa.org

Organized in 1852, the Presbyterian Historical Society is the oldest denominational archives in the United States and serves as the national archives for the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.) and many predecessor denominations. Its holdings include more than 180,000 titles reflecting the history of the Presbyterian tradition in America. Special holdings include 16th-century works by and about John Calvin and other Reformers, as well as extensive materials on British Presbyterianism.

The archival holdings consist of approximately 30,000 cu. ft. of official records and personal papers. These include records of congregations, presbyteries, synods, and General Assembly agencies of the current and some predecessor Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in America. These are supplemented by the personal papers of significant Presbyterians, with a particular emphasis on mission history in this country and abroad. The Society also serves as the archives for ecumenical organizations including the Federal and National Council of Churches and the American Sunday School Union.

• Derick Dreher, Director (PACSCL rep), 215-732-1600, ext. 121, ddreher@rosenbach.org
• Elizabeth E. Fuller, Librarian, 215-732-1600, ext. 115, eefuller@rosenbach.org
• Judith M. Guston, Curator and Director of Collections, 215-732-1600 ext 112, jmguston@rosenbach.org

The Rosenbach Museum & Library seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry, and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs, and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library was founded upon collections acquired in the first half of this century by Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother Philip, preeminent dealers in rare books, manuscripts, and art. No longer a private library, the Rosenbach is today a public institution serving a broad audience. Since opening to the public in 1954, collections have grown to include 30,000 rare books, 300,000 manuscripts, 20,000 works of art on paper, 500 paintings, and 350 decorative art objects.

The collections are especially strong in Americana, British and American literature, and book illustration, and include treasures noted for extraordinary significance, rarity, and physical condition. Largest among its collections are the papers of Modernist poet Marianne Moore, illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the Rosenbach Company itself.

The Museum and Library are housed in the brothers' elegantly-appointed 19th-century town home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors are welcomed into a personal world where great collectors lived among their collections. The Rosenbach expanded into the townhouse adjoining it at 2008 Delancey Place to create new storage facilities, a second gallery, and a new reading room. The same project saw the restoration of the original Rosenbach home.

• Caryn A. Carr, Director, Bureau of State Library
• Kurt A. Bodling, Rare Book Librarian

The State Library of Pennsylvania collects and preserves our written heritage through materials published for, by, and about Pennsylvania. Collection strengths are Pennsylvania newspapers, genealogy, pamphlets, and the General Assembly Collection.

The collection's core is the Assembly Collection. Now numbering over 400 volumes, these are books that were purchased by Pennsylvania's legislators beginning in 1745 to serve their needs in governing the commonwealth. Made up mostly of law books, the Assembly Collection also contains dictionaries, and books on architecture, philosophy, history and religion. One of the central jewels in this crown is the 1739 Assembly Bible, upon which generations of Pennsylvania's elected leaders have taken their oaths of office. The whole Assembly Collection is currently being conserved and restored after receiving more that 250 years of use.

Hours vary according to collection. Consult the libraries' websites.

McCabe Library  

• Peggy Seiden, Library Director, 610-328-8489, pseiden1@swarthmore.edu
• Amy McColl, Assistant Head of Technical Services for Monographs, Special Collections, and Preservation, 610-328-8484, amccoll1@swarthmore.edu

Friends Historical Library

• Christopher Densmore, Curator, (PACSCL rep) 610-328-8496, cdensmo1@swarthmore.edu
• Susanna Morikawa, Archival Specialist, 610-328-8542, smorika@swarthmore.edu
• Patricia C. O'Donnell, Archivist, 610-328-8572, podonne1@swarthmore.edu

Peace Collection

• Wendy E. Chmielewski, Curator, 610-328-7325, wchmiel1@swarthmore.edu
• Barbara E. Addison, Technical Services Librarian, 610-328-8552, baddiso1@swarthmore.edu
• Mary Beth Sigado, Technical Services Specialist, 610-328-8527, msigado1@swarthmore.edu
• Anne M. Yoder, Archivist, 610-328-8030, ayoder1@swarthmore.edu

Friends Historical Library was established in 1871, with research collections on Quaker history and doctrine; Indian rights, women's rights, and abolition of slavery; Quaker activity in literature, science, business education, and government. Holdings include more than 39,000 books, 1,800 serial volumes, 2,500 microfilm reels, 4,000 volumes of Quaker meeting records, 275 manuscript collections, and numerous pictures and artifacts.

In addition there is the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, established in 1930, encompassing the history of the peace movement, conscientious objection, pacifism, arms control and disarmament, nonviolence, internationalism, and civil disobedience. The collection contains nearly 155 major document groups, approximately 2,000 smaller collective document groups, over 12,000 catalogued books and pamphlets, 400 periodicals currently received, and 1,500 microfilm reels.

McCabe Library holdings are: the Bathe Collection on the history of technology (1,000 volumes); and materials on James Thomson (400 volumes); William Wordsworth (200 volumes); W. H. Auden (500 volumes); British Americana, including accounts of British travelers in the United States (1,500 volumes); Private Presses, reflecting the output of the private press in Great Britain and the United States (5,000 volumes); Swarthmoreana (7,000 volumes); and other smaller groups of miscellaneous rare, illustrated, and decorated books (5,000 volumes).

Mon - Fri 9:00-5:00.

Special Collections

• Thomas Whitehead, Head (PACSCL Rep, 215-204-4371, (PACSCL Rep), whitetm@temple.edu

Urban Archives Center

• Brenda Galloway, Asst. Archivist, 215-204-1639

University Archives: Conwellana-Templana Collection

• Carol A. Harris, 215-204-4576, charri00@temple.edu

Blockson Library: Sullivan Hall

• Diane Turner, Director, diane.turner@temple.edu

With 1,800,000 volumes the Temple University Library is the second largest academic library in the Delaware Valley. Its Special Collections reflect 20th-century urban studies and include 80,000 printed books, twenty million photographic images, and 20,000 cubic feet of archives.

The Urban Archives Center contains post-Civil War local social, educational, political, and labor history; maps, atlases, pamphlets, and photographs, including the collections of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Evening Bulletin. The University Archives include papers of founder Russell H. Conwell and of faculty, staff, alumni, and the University Press.

The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection is an extensive research collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, music, broadsides, and artifacts of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American life.

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection consists of English, American, and French literature, horticulture and landscape gardening, history of business and accounting, and English religious and parliamentary history. The Graphic Arts Collection includes fine printing and printing history. Other strengths are the Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection and the Contemporary Culture Collection of social protest, small press, and alternative publications 1960s-1980s.

By appointment.

• James Mundy, Director of Archives and Collections, 215-587-5592, mundyj@unionleague.org
• Beth DeGeorge, Librarian, 215-587-5594, degeorgeb@unionleague.org

The Union League library specializes in American Civil War, American and European history, World War I and II, regional history, biographies and early 20th century travel. The library is housed in the historic Union League House in Philadelphia, one of the country's pre-eminent private clubs, founded in 1862 to support Abraham Lincoln, the administration, and the Union cause.

The Special Collections Department is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays. Hours are adjusted around the University of Delaware academic calendar and University holidays, so please confirm the University of Delaware library hours before traveling to visit the library.

Library hours are also available at + 1 (302) 831-BOOK.

• Timothy D. Murray (PACSCL rep) , Head, Special Collections, (302) 831-6952, tdm@udel.edu
• L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin (manuscripts), Associate Librarian, (302) 831-6089, lrjm@udel.edu
• Iris R. Snyder (public services and exhibitions), Associate Librarian, (302) 831-6518, irsnyder@udel.edu

Holdings of the Special Collections Department of the University of Delaware Library include approximately 200, 000 books, serials, and other printed items, nearly 4,500 linear feet of manuscripts, as well as significant collections of historic maps, prints, photographs, broadsides, periodicals, pamphlets, ephemera, and realia from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. The collections complement the Library's general collections with particular strengths in the subject areas of the arts; French, English, Irish, and American literature; history and Delawareana; the history of printing and publishing; horticulture and landscape design; and the history of science and technology. The University of Delaware Archives is separately administered and comprises university records and history of the institution.

Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 4:45 P.M., and Saturday from Noon to 4:00 P.M. during the fall, spring, and summer academic semesters. (Access to the library on weekends is restricted; call the Rare Book & Manuscript Library to make arrangements.) Consult website for list of closings

• David McKnight, Interim Director, Rare Book and Manuscript Library and
  Curator, Schoenberg Center For Electronic Text and Image (SCETI), 215 746-5829, dmcknigh@upenn.edu
• Lynne Farrington, Curator of Printed Books, 215-746-5828, lynne@upenn.edu
• Nancy M. Shawcross, Curator of Manuscripts, 215-898-2065, shawcros@upenn.edu
• Amey Hutchins, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, 215-898-0876, ameyh@upenn.edu
• Daniel H. Traister, Curator of Research Services, 215-898-7089, traister@upenn.edu
• John Pollack, Public Services Specialist, 215-746-5825, jpollack@english.upenn.edu
• Marissa Hendriks, Public Services Assistant, 215-746-5826, marrisah@sas.upenn.edu
• Andrea Gottschalk, Exhibition Designer & Coordinator, 215-746-5824, gottsch3@upenn.edu
• Sibylla Benatova, Conservation Assistant, 215-746-5827, sibylla@upenn.edu

With approximately 250,000 printed books and nearly ten million pieces of manuscript material, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library is a small part of the University's 5 million-volume library system. The Rare Book and Manuscript Library serves faculty and students across the Penn campus and around the world. Special strengths include American literature, drama, and history; English, Spanish, Italian, and German literature; the Edgar Fahs Smith Memorial Collection in the history of chemistry; the Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library devoted to Shakespeare and his contemporaries; and the Henry Charles Lea Library with strengths in Church history, the Inquisition, magic, and witchcraft.

Manuscript collections include materials from the 12th through 20th centuries, with notable archives of the works of such moderns as Theodore Dreiser, James T. Farrell, Lewis Mumford, and Marian Anderson. Highly specialized collections include the works of Jonathan Swift, Aristotle editions and commentaries, both printed and manuscript, up to 1700; the Curtis Collection of Benjamin Franklin's printing; and the output of the Dutch firm of Elzevir from the 16th through the 18th centuries.

In addition to the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, there are important special collections in other Penn libraries. The Center for Advanced Judaic Studies holds thousands of volumes of rare manuscript and printed judaica; the Fine Arts Library contains a large and important collection of books on architecture; and the University Museum Library has notable strengths in rare materials relating to the history of anthropology. The School of Nursing maintains an extensive nursing archive, and the University Archives document the history of the University going back to the mid-eighteenth century.

The Special Collections Room is generally open

• Monday, Thursday and Friday: 2 pm – 4 pm
• Tuesday and Wednesday: 10 am – 12 pm

Consult special collections librarian to confirm schedule

• Joseph Lucia, Library Director
• Bente Polites, Special Collections Librarian
• Michael Foight, Special Collections and Digital Library Coordinator
• Teri Ann Pirone, Digital Library and Special Collections Curatorial Assistant

The Special Collections of Villanova University's Falvey Memorial Library are comprised of some 15,000 printed volumes along with papers and historical records. Notable sub-collections include holdings in Augustiana, European imprints to 1800, the Hubbard Collection (works by Elbert G. Hubbard and works printed at the Roycroft Press), the McGarrity Collection on Irish History and Irish-American relations, incunabula, fine bindings, Cuala Press and Dolmen Press chapbooks and broadsides, North American imprints to 1820, and Villanovana.

The Library also hosts the University Archives, located on the fourth floor of the library. The Augustinian Historical Institute, which is dedicated to the heritage of the Augustinian Order, is also located on the Villanova University campus. Special Collections is actively acquiring rare items in Irish history and Irish-American relations and also in the area of Augustinian studies.

Current projects include the digitization of items from Special Collections for inclusion in the Villanova University Digital Library.

Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM-4 PM by appointment

• Susan Glassman, Director, Tel.: 215-763-6529 ext. 14, susang@wagnerfreeinstitute.org
• Lynn Dorwaldt, Librarian, Tel.: 215-763-6529 ext. 12, lynnd@wagnerfreeinstitute.org (PACSCL rep)

Chartered in 1855, The Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum and educational institution devoted to providing free public education in the sciences. It occupies its original building, completed in 1865, which remains virtually unchanged since the 1890s. The Library contains some 45,000 volumes on the natural and physical sciences, metallurgy, education, medicine, archaeology and anthropology, the pseudo-sciences, instrument building, and photography from the seventeenth to the early-twentieth centuries. The collection reflects the Institute's curriculum of courses over its history and the research interests of its faculty and staff. The holdings of the Library mirror the Institute's mission. The William Wagner Collection (collected by the Institute’s founder) contains 3,000 volumes and includes rare editions of eighteenth and nineteenth century works on literature and history in addition to natural science. The Library also oversees the Archives, which comprises the family, personal, and business papers of William Wagner and records of the Institute’s founding and early years. The manuscript collections contain correspondence of notable scientists, such as Joseph Leidy, Edward Drinker Cope, Constantine S. Rafinesque, Angelo Heilprin, and Samuel George Gordon. The Library also includes maps, prints, photographs, drawings, and glass lantern slides that illustrated the early course lectures.

Mon - Fri 8:30-4:30

• Cate Cooney, printed and rare books, ccooney@winterthur.org
• E. Richard McKinstry, manuscripts and printed ephemera, ermckinstry@winterthur.org
• Bert Denker, Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, bdenker@winterthur.org
• Heather Clewell, Winterthur Archives, hclewell@winterthur.org

General reference, Reference@winterthur.org

The Winterthur Library is a research center for the study of American art and material culture whose resources for advanced study include more than 70,000 volumes and approximately 500,000 manuscripts and visual images. The holdings in the rare book collection are particularly strong for architecture and design pattern books, American and British manufacturers' and retailers' trade catalogues, descriptions of craft techniques, advice literature, periodicals that promote or describe lifestyles, and city directories and design. Notable collections include the Waldron Phoenix Belknap, Jr., Research Library of American Painting, whose manuscripts holdings sketchbooks, drawings, journals and letters of Thomas Sully, Albert Bierstadt, and Joseph Pennell, among others; the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts & Printed Ephemera relating to American craftsmen and artists, architecture and decorative arts made or used in America; and the Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection. The Winterthur Archives include the papers of Henry Francis du Pont and his father, Colonel Henry Algernon du Pont, Winterthur Farm records, and the early administrative records of the museum. The Decorative Arts Photographic Collection contains more than 150,000 photographs of decorative art objects made or used in America prior to 1914 and located in both public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe.