Notable Collections
List
History of Computing
The University of Pennsylvania has an important role in the early history of modern computing. Collections in this field are significant and include early materials from John W. Mauchly as well as contemporary research.
Holy Land Collections
Penn's libraries are home to a wide range of special and general collections related to the Holy Land.
Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (Furness Shakespeare Library)
The Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library focuses on Shakespeare’s works, their history and theatrical context, and the long tradition of Shakespearian criticism.
Immigrant and Refugee Experiences in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
The Penn Libraries is actively expanding its collection of children’s and young adult literatures with the goal of privileging diverse voices, cultures, and perspectives. Recently, an internal collection development grant enabled the Libraries to narrow in on juvenile literatures that focus on immigrant and refugee communities in the United States.
Immigrant Literature
Given the unique experiences of immigrants and the too-frequent lack of understanding by others, immigrant fiction can play an important role in speaking to and legitimizing the experiences of some, and in informing and enlightening others.
Incunable Collection
The Kislak Center holds over 560 exemplars of books printed in Europe from movable type before 1501. Sixty-six of these titles are the only recorded copies in North America. These volumes contain texts in religion, philosophy, and ancient and modern literature. This collection group includes includes incunables from the Henry Charles Lea Library and the Yarnall Library of Theology.