“Exploring Research Collections: A Special Collections Sampler,” an exhibition, is on display January 8–March 7, 2014, in The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library.

Special collections can often be a patchwork quilt of rare books, scarce publications, unique documents, archival materials, and hard to find resources that support and enrich the educational and research missions of a university. This sampling showcases pieces that have been woven together to create a rich tapestry of collections of distinction for Penn State.

In this exhibition, selections from Penn State’s Special Collection Library:
• show how the iron industry shaped Centre County;
• document the Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite and other Anabaptist communal societies;
• tell how a nun from Erie has had global impact on issues of social justice, peace and equality, especially for women in church and in society;
• show images from an “embedded” journalist during the Civil War;
• give examples of how art was taught in the 19th century and
• show the whimsical and macabre imagination of an illustrator.

These and many other discoveries await researchers and visitors to Penn State’s Special Collections Library. Open Monday–Thursday, 8–6 p.m.; Friday, 8–5 p.m.; and, during spring semester, Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Tim Pyatt at tdp11@psu.edu or “Exploring Research Collections: A Special Collections Sampler,” an exhibition, is on display January 8–March 7, 2014, in The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library.