A New Leaf: Building the Rare Book Collection at Western Libraries

Since 2018, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections has significantly enhanced its Rare Book Collection, largely through donations. Strengthening the diversity of the collection has been a top goal, and an impressive array of items from many different times and places have recently been added. Students and instructors across a range of disciplines and departments use these materials every quarter, and they allow the Western community to participate more fully in the nationwide trend towards hands-on learning with primary sources.

The new exhibition features a sampling of these recent acquisitions. Items on display allow viewers to travel back in time and around the world, right at the heart of campus. Exhibit materials include leaves from medieval and Islamic manuscripts, works related to African American literature and history, books by Indigenous authors, illustrated books from premodern Japan, resources related to book history and disability, and texts that support the study of the history of religion.

For more information or to schedule class or group visits, please contact Michael Taylor, Special Collections Librarian, taylo213@wwu.edu, (360) 650-3097. 

[Image information: all images from the Rare Book Collection at Western Libraries. Image description: three images side-by-side showing a leaf from a medieval manuscript with Latin text written in a Gothic script; an illustration in shades of black and gray depicting a human silhouette looking into the sky and standing in front of a rainbow in a nature setting; and an Islamic manuscript with text written in Arabic.]