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 Monsters and Machines: Caricature, Visual Satire, and the Twentieth-Century Bestiary Sep 12 2024 – Dec 9 2024 “Monsters and Machines: Caricature, Visual Satire, and the Twentieth-Century Bestiary,” the Library's fall 2024 exhibition in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library, will focus on the use of animal and zoological motifs in visual satire between World War I and the Cold War. Credit Line, Please: Photographs by Elizabeth Menzies Jun 12 2024 – Apr 1 2025 The University Archives owe a great deal of our visual evidence of Princeton University in the mid-twentieth century to local photographer, Elizabeth Menzies (1915-2003). Menzies contributed countless photographs of the Princeton campus to Princeton Alumni Weekly magazine starting in 1936, through World War II, and late into the 1960s. Belle da Costa Greene at Princeton, 1901–1905 Nov 12 2024 – Mar 1 2025 Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950) is renowned today as the founding director of the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, where over a 40-year period she built a collection of unparalleled quality. Key to preparing da Costa Greene for her success in the exclusive world of rare books was her position at Princeton University Library, where she launched her career. Be Happy: The work of Barbara Valenza Nov 15 2024 – May 31 2025 Kindness, positivity, imagination, hope, and happiness run through Barbara Valenza’s works like golden threads on a beautiful tapestry. In her illustrations and words, Valenza shared her artistic soul while also encouraging readers to embrace and express their own creativity. Powering Up the U.S. Labor Force: Women in Industry During World War II (1940-1945) Nov 25 2024 – Jul 1 2025 Helen Baker developed an unparalleled collection of industrial relations material at Princeton University Library. Baker joined the Industrial Relations Section in 1930 as the Section’s first librarian and research assistant, and became the first woman to achieve the rank of associate professor at Princeton in 1948. 1 / 5 ︎ ︎ 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 Wordless Wednesday #82 December 4, 2024 Selected by Adrienne Rusinko 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 Dear Mr. Mudd: What Is the Origin of the “‘Old Nassau’ Salute”? December 4, 2024 Pop Goes the Page Highlights Cotsen Children's Library story times, programs, and workshops.Visit the Pop Goes the Page blog There and Back Again: Katie’s Journey December 3, 2024 Cotsen Curatorial Events and items in the collection of Cotsen Children's Library presented by the curatorial staff.Visit the Cotsen Curatorial blog It’s in the Box: French Promotional Giveaways for Children about Africa November 30, 2024