Within the vaults of the Special Collections Department in the University of Delaware Library are an estimated 200,000 rare books and other printed materials along with more than 1,000 manuscript collections — and resources are continually being added.

On view in the first floor exhibition area of Morris Library from July 6 through Sept. 15, the one-case exhibition “New Acquisitions” will feature a selection of recent additions to the growing collections of these rare and unique materials.

Curated by Alexander C. Johnston, associate librarian in the Special Collections Department, the exhibition will highlight materials such as Ulisse Aldrovandi's Monstrorum Historia, a treatise on monsters and abnormalities, which includes woodcut illustrations of fantastical sea monsters that may be exaggerated versions of real animals or entirely fabricated creatures.

Also on display, Trattato Delle Piante, an architectural work from 1620 written by Amico di Gallipoli and illustrated by Jacques Callot, features detailed engravings of ancient buildings in Jerusalem, which allow the reader to see how the structures have changed since then.

The items on display in the “New Acquisitions” exhibition represent just a small fraction of the works acquired by Special Collections throughout the past year. Librarians in Special Collections regularly add new materials to the collections, both through purchase and donation. These unique materials are made available for use by students, faculty and other researchers, and are often integrated into the classroom curriculum.

A digital version of the exhibition will be available here.

Special Collections and Museums at the University of Delaware Library

Special Collections and Museums has a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary collection encompassing books, manuscripts, art, archival materials, minerals and much more. Subject strengths of Special Collections include history and Delawareana, science and technology, art and literature; political papers, family papers and ships’ logs are among the primary source material. The Mark Samuels Lasner Collection greatly enhances the collection’s strengths in British literature of the 19th and early 20th century. American art of the 20th century (especially prints, photographs and work by African American artists), European prints, Inuit art, Pre-Columbian art and minerals are among the strengths of the Museums’ collection.

The staff in Special Collections and Museums collaborates with students, faculty members and other scholars to make the treasures in these collections accessible for viewing, study and research. During the academic year, exhibitions can be viewed in four campus venues: the Special Collections Gallery in Morris Library, Old College Gallery, Mechanical Hall Gallery and the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. All exhibitions and accompanying programs are offered to the UD community and general public without charge.

Visit current and past exhibitions or browse the finding aids for unpublished materials.

For information about Special Collections and Museums see: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/ and http://www.udel.edu/museums/.