Notable Collections

The Kislak Center holds substantial collections of family papers from Italy, containing a wide range of documents dating from the Middle Ages and Renaissance into modern times.

Latin American artististic, political, and social movements have led to the creation of a variety of DIY handmade books from throughout the region. Notable examples include cartoneras from Argentina, "Vigías" from Cuba, and contemporary experiments with Indigenous papermaking practices in Mexico.

The Van Pelt Video Collection reflects Penn's large and visible LGBT community's broad interests in its acquisitions.

The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture collections include the Society's records, beginning with its 1785 founding, and its extensive library.

Among the significant holdings of books and manuscripts from or relating to early modern Spain, Iberia, and colonial Latin America, the drama collection is particularly noteworthy.

Penn Libraries has developed its coverage of 20th century Spanish history and literature in recent (since the early 21st century) years.

The Sydney S. Keil Collection contains over 1,000 items from colonial Latin America, including books, pamphlets, broadsides, and maps.