Rare Book Collections

The rare books collections at FSU Special Collections & Archives comprise over 90,000 volumes of printed materials ranging in date from the fifteenth to the twenty-first centuries. These books represent significant examples from the history of text technology, as well as areas of particular historical, geographical, and sociological importance. Collecting strengths include 19^th century English and American poetry, Napoleon and the French Revolution, Scottish history and literature, children’s literature, early travel and discovery of the Americas, early English bibles, 20^th century avant-garde literature, and artists’ books.

Special Collections & Archives welcomes the use of its material by patrons and researchers in our two reading rooms, the Special Collections Research Center Reading Room and the Claude Pepper Library Reading Room. To learn more about visiting SCA, please click on the following link: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/visit

Research Assistance
Researchers are encouraged to contact Special Collections & Archives staff regarding use of Special Collections & Archives materials in class assignments, scholarship, personal research, and general inquiry. For research assistance, please email us at lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu.

Researchers can also request in-person and virtual meetings with Special Collections & Archives staff. To book an appointment, please use our online tool: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/visit#book-an-appointment

Instruction Sessions 
We invite instructors teaching at all levels in all departments to consider a class visit to Special Collections & Archives during your course. Visits to SCA locations can include any of the following content, directed by you and/or SCA staff:

• Active learning with objects from Special Collections & Archives
• Orientation to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives
• Introduction to archival and/or primary source research
• Custom sessions built around your course goals and objectives

To place a request for a class visit to the Special Collections Research Center or Claude Pepper Library, please use our online form: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/class-visit-request-form

To further discuss the possibilities of a Special Collections & Archives class visit, please use our online tool to book a research consultation: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/visit#book-an-appointment

• To limit your search results to Special Collections holdings, use the facet Library: “FSU STROZIER, Special Coll” located on the left-hand side menu of your search results
• Limiting search by year (“Start and End Dates”) is often useful to Special Collections researchers
• Sort or Narrow search results using terms in left-hand column
• Click through search results to get full records for books or collections
• Anything mentioning “Special Coll” in Location information is available through the Special Collections Research Center reading room in 110 Strozier Library
• To request specific books in reading room, use the Title and Call Number (Location). For example, to see this book, https://fsu-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_FSU/pag4dr/alma990243569410306576 (Links to an external site.), ask for Sketches of St. Augustine, Special Coll Florida -- F319.S2 S5 1849.

• Searches can be limited by record type; keyword, title, creator, and subject; and by date
• Filter search results using terms in right-hand column
• Click through search results to get full records for collections or archival items
• Researchers can browse by topical area by clicking on “Classifications”
• Most collections available through the Special Collections Research Center reading room in 110 Strozier Library
• Some collections note that “Users may access this collection at the Claude Pepper Library” - Claude Pepper Center, 636 W Call St
• To request specific items in the reading room, use the collection title, collection Identifier, and box number (citation)
• Collections belonging to non-FSUL repositories can be accessed by using the contact information on the Repository’s page
• More information can be found in the Searching the Archives at FSU Research Guide.

• Use keyword search at the top of the screen, advanced search in the tool bar, or click through themed collections to discover digital objects
• Sort or Narrow results using terms in left-hand column or search within a collection using the search box on the right side.
• Click through Search Results to get full records and see digital copies
• Summary tab - see a digital copy
• Item Description tab - information about the digital object
• Click through “Subject(s)” to find related digital items
• Check the “Is Part Of” field to find related items in Special Collections & Archives

Keywords are what we use to search databases, but rarely does a single keyword produce perfect or complete results. Resources may not be described how you expect, and this is why approaching a search with multiple terms will produce the best outcome. 

When formulating keywords, focus on:

• Identifying the main concepts of your topic or research question
• Brainstorming synonyms and antonyms
• Spelling out any words that are abbreviated
• Avoiding abstract concepts as search terms

Example Search

Research Question: What is the history of the Everglades and how are they a unique ecosystem?

Keywords: Everglades, Florida, swamp, marsh, wetlands, mangroves, ecosystem, flood control, Lake Okeechobee, Florida Bay, cypress, Miami, manatees, alligators, sawgrass, Kissimmee River, biodiversity, coastal prairie, aquifer, environmental restoration

Online

Main SCA Website
https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections

Email SCA Staff
lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu

Visit SCA
https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/visit

FSU Library Catalog
fsu-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01FALSC_FSU:Home
Filter results for SCA by selecting "Library > FSU Special Collections and Archives"

FSU Finding Aid Database
archives.lib.fsu.edu

FSU Digital Library
https://repository.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:digital_library

Special Collections & Archives Reading Rooms Hours

Fall 2024

SCA Research Center
110 Strozier Library, Main Floor
(850) 644-3271

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Claude Pepper Library Reading Room
Claude Pepper Center, 636 W Call St
(850) 644-9217 

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 110am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm