Address and Contact Information

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center 
3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6206 
215-898-7088 
kislak@upenn.edu 
Accessibility information

Information for All Visitors

The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts supports archival research, events, exhibits, scholarship, and classroom teaching related to rare book and manuscript collections across the University of Pennsylvania. Kislak collections, programing, and events are based on the 6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

To enter Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, visitors must show a valid PennCard or a current, valid government or school-issued photo ID that contains an expiration date. Registered courtesy borrowers must show their library-issued borrower's card and a valid photo ID.

Visitors who do not hold a PennCard and who are not a member of an affiliated institution will be asked to sign in. A copy of their identification documents will be made and a visitor badge will be issued. 

For more information, see Access and Visitor Information for the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

Events 

Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion  
6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (room 602) 

Exhibits 

Goldstein Family Gallery 
Located on the southwest corner of the 6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (room in 604), the Goldstein Family Gallery displays exhibits drawn from Penn's Special Collections. Gallery hours are typically 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday. Read more about how to visit and what is on view now. 

Reading Rooms

The University of Pennsylvania houses six readings rooms to support distinct special collections located across the university. Each reading room requests that researchers schedule an appointment to access materials. If you are unsure of where the materials you are interested in are located, please email kislak@upenn.edu

The Kislak Center's Charles K. MacDonald Reading Room 
Rare books, manuscripts, and other materials stewarded by the Kislak Center for Special Collections are available by appointment in the Charles K. MacDonald Reading Room on the 6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies 
420 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-3703.

Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing 
Suite 2U, Claire M. Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104. 

Please note: The Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing will be closed for in-person research appointments beginning December 11, 2023, due to a construction project at the School of Nursing.  

University Archives and Record Center  
3401 Market Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Architectural Archives 
220 South 34th Street at Smith Walk, Lower Level of the Fisher Fine Arts Library building, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Museum Library Rare Book Collection 
3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6324 

Additional Spaces

The Henry Charles Lea Library 
6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (Room 605) 
Henry Charles Lea, a Philadelphia publisher and civic reformer, was America’s first distinguished historian of the European Middle Ages, the Inquisition, ecclesiastical history, and witchcraft. His library was built in 1881 as an extension to his house at 2000 Walnut Street. It was conveyed to the University in 1925 by Lea's children. Since 1962, the room and Lea's collection have been located on the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center and is now part of the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts.

Furness Shakespeare Library 
6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (Room 628) 
The Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library focuses on the works of William Shakespeare, their history,  theatrical context, and Shakespearean criticism. On the 6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, the Furness Shakespeare Library houses recent scholarship and may be accessed during library hours. Older materials in the Furness Collection can be requested and consulted in the Reading Room.

Vitale II Media Lab 
6th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (Room 623)