Explore Special CollectionsWe invite you to explore the holdings in Special Collections which encompass a number of collecting areas, formats and time periods. Information on placing digitization requests, including for Senior Theses, and guidelines for copyright and citations can be found here.Learn more about access and our collecting areas Visit Special CollectionsAll are welcome to conduct research in Special Collections. The materials housed in Special Collections Firestone and Special Collections Mudd do not circulate, however researchers can access the physical collections in one of our reading rooms. Learn more on how to visit Teach with Special CollectionsTeaching with Special Collections is a collaboration between faculty and library staff. We look forward to sharing our spaces, the collections, and our skills and knowledge with your students.Learn more on how to plan a session Ask Special CollectionsWe welcome you to reach out to us with any questions you may have. To ensure we can respond as effectively as possible, please provide clear and detailed information in your inquiry. Kindly note that it may take 7-10 business days for us to respond. Thank you for your understanding and patience.Contact us using our online form Special Collection Spaces Special Collections Firestone Library Special Collections Mudd Library Cotsen Children's Library Search the Collections Library Catalog Use the Library Catalog to search library holdings for resources, in a variety of formats, on your topic of interest. Finding Aids Find archival collections of unique primary sources such as records, personal papers, or manuscripts. Digital Library (DPUL) View digital collections and exhibitions from the Library's collections and archives. Exhibitions Explore all Exhibitions Fashion, Feminism, and Fear: Clothing and Power in the 19th Century Jun 27 2025 – Apr 1 2026 In the late 19th century, some women made the boldest, most bizarre fashion choice imaginable—they started wearing pants. To some, including William H. Walker (1871-1938), women in pants became a symbolic representation of the end of the world as they knew it. Living Forever: The Archive of "The Great Gatsby" Apr 11 2025 – Dec 1 2025 Through large-scale reproductions, a variety of items that trace the creation, reception, and impact of “The Great Gatsby” around the world are featured. Forms & Function: The Splendors of Global Book Making Sep 10 2025 – Dec 8 2025 Highlighting the diversity of global book making traditions using examples from the Princeton University Library, this exhibition focuses on the continuous transmission and exchange of formal aspects in the world’s three major lineages of the book form: the codex, the East Asian, and the pothī traditions. 1 / 3 ︎ ︎ Friends of the Princeton University Library Research Grants Each year, the Friends of the Princeton University Library offer short-term Library Research Grants to promote scholarly use of the Princeton University Library special and distinct collections. Applications will be considered for scholarly use of archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other rare and unique holdings in Special Collections, including Mudd Library; as well as rare books in Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, and in the East Asian Library (Gest Collection).FPUL Research Grants Read our Blogs Find new and exciting areas of the collections. Special Collections Highlights Princeton University Library’s rare books, manuscripts, and archives.View the Special Collections blog Making Islamic World Manuscripts Accessible July 8, 2025 These three manuscripts are held in two collections—the Houtsma and Littman Collections—which are a part of Princeton’s manuscripts of the Islamic world, itself the largest collection of its kind in North America. University Archives Highlights resources for uncovering the history of Princeton University through the University Archives housed in Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.Visit the University Archives blog This Week in Princeton History for July 7-13 July 7, 2025 Pop Goes the Page Highlights Cotsen Children's Library story times, programs, and workshops.Visit the Pop Goes the Page blog The Brick is Afoot July 8, 2025 Cotsen Curatorial Events and items in the collection of Cotsen Children's Library presented by the curatorial staff.Visit the Cotsen Curatorial blog Captain Underpants Lives: Can Silliness Be Stifled? June 28, 2025
