Special Collections & Rare Books, Western Michigan University

Special Collections & Rare Books, Western Michigan University We are WMU Special Collections, a part of Western Michigan Unviersity Libraries.

Located in the Zhang Legacy Collections Center at 1650 Oakland Drive, Special Collections is one of the largest repositories of primary sources and research materials in the WMU Libraries. It contains medieval manuscripts, facsimiles, Hand Press Period books, American women's poetry, fine press editions, artists' books, WWII collections, children's books, ephemera and much more! We are open to the

public from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Tuesday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Saturday, with the exception of holidays. Call (269) 387-8490 or email [email protected] to request materials for your visit, and check scheduled class visits at https://wmich.edu/library/visit/zhang in order to avoid crowds.

Beautiful.
02/01/2025

Beautiful.

In honor of , we’re sharing Alain Locke’s anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature.This work was a landmark publication of the Harlem Renaissance and features some of the most notable names from the New Negro movement, including Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B. DuBois.

The artwork and graphic design is by Winold Reiss, a white, German American artist known for his portraits of Harlem residents. Locke hailed Reiss’s nuanced depictions of Harlem community members and avoidance of stereotypes. This frontispiece, The Brown Madonna, depicts a graceful Black mother and uses overt Christian references, highlighting the book’s aim to promote racial uplift and express the community’s dignity.

The work is currently on view through May 4, 2025.

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Alain Locke (1885–1954), editor, The New Negro: An Interpretation, New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1925, purchased on the Carter Burden Fund, 2012; PML 195844. Photography by Carmen González Fraile, 2024.

Hosted our neighbors from Calvin University for a field trip on the history of the book this morning.  We are here to se...
02/01/2025

Hosted our neighbors from Calvin University for a field trip on the history of the book this morning. We are here to serve any students who want to learn from our holdings!

Great work colleagues!
01/30/2025

Great work colleagues!

Data Librarian Daria Orlowska and Regional History Curator Lynn Houghton collaborated on a new book chapter focused on using library collections as data sets for data literacy education and community engagement. Congrats Daria and Lynn!

Wonderful artist's book!
01/30/2025

Wonderful artist's book!

It’s learn to decipher abbreviations day in paleography!
01/29/2025

It’s learn to decipher abbreviations day in paleography!

We’re remembering when the archives in regional history were in the basement of Waldo Library and this sign helped you f...
01/25/2025

We’re remembering when the archives in regional history were in the basement of Waldo Library and this sign helped you find them.

01/23/2025

In 1919, Belle Greene purchased this manuscript commentary on the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) at auction from the collection of Henry Yates Thompson. In her notes for the sale, she marked this manuscript (and one other) as “most important.” She bid successfully and yet again acquired a Yates Thompson manuscript at a steep bargain. The manuscript was written and illuminated by an artist/scribe named Maius and is the earliest complete copy of the celebrated Beatus manuscripts of medieval Spain. It is a prime example of Greene’s acquisitions of medieval manuscripts originating outside of the traditional Western European cultural centers of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany.
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St. Beatus of Liébana (d. 798)
Commentary on the Apocalypse, in Latin
San Salvador de Tábara, Spain, ca. 945
The Morgan Library & Museum; MS M.644, vol. 1

Regional History Curator Lynn Houghton and Western Michigan University Archivist John Winchell pose with a new book, Kal...
01/17/2025

Regional History Curator Lynn Houghton and Western Michigan University Archivist John Winchell pose with a new book, Kalamazoo County Characters, which benefited from materials from the Zhang Legacy Collections Center and the deep knowledge of our staff.

Even on an snowy afternoon, lots of people came to the Zhang Legacy Collections Center to see manuscripts on loan for sp...
01/10/2025

Even on an snowy afternoon, lots of people came to the Zhang Legacy Collections Center to see manuscripts on loan for spring semester. We enjoyed sharing all your discoveries!

Join us for a special showcase featuring medieval manuscripts temporarily on loan from the Newberry Library and Manuscri...
01/02/2025

Join us for a special showcase featuring medieval manuscripts temporarily on loan from the Newberry Library and Manuscripts in the Curriculum! https://wmich.libcal.com/event/13737803

These manuscripts will be used by medieval studies students studying paleography and codicology this semester. Not only will these items be used by students to practice deciphering and dating manuscripts, they can be studied as artifacts to glean insight into their creators' culture and history.

The event will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center. It is part of Quaestio, a monthly showcase hosted by the Medieval Research Group and the Zhang Legacy Collections Center.

Thanks for attending our book collector's event! Events like these are a chance for the community to gather and share ou...
12/11/2024

Thanks for attending our book collector's event! Events like these are a chance for the community to gather and share our favorite collections. We hope to keep growing these events in the future!

Only a few people turned out, but organizers hope the meetup will expand in the future.

Fascinating discovery!
12/08/2024

Fascinating discovery!

Hitting the books this weekend? The Zhang Legacy Collections Center is open today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for any last min...
12/07/2024

Hitting the books this weekend? The Zhang Legacy Collections Center is open today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for any last minute research you might need.

➡Get hours for all library locations: wmich.edu/library/hours

📷 Students studying in Western's first library on what is now east campus, circa 1906.

The Zhang Legacy Collections Center will have reduced hours during Thanksgiving Break. 🍂 We will be closed Thursday, Nov...
11/26/2024

The Zhang Legacy Collections Center will have reduced hours during Thanksgiving Break. 🍂 We will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28 through Monday, Dec. 2, and reopen on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

It might not feel like it today, but it's still autumn. We're enjoying some autumnal poetry while the last few leaves cl...
11/21/2024

It might not feel like it today, but it's still autumn. We're enjoying some autumnal poetry while the last few leaves cling to their branches in the snow.

Dr. Marjorie Harrington of WMU's Medieval Institute provided a lively presentation for students in Medieval Studies 2000...
11/19/2024

Dr. Marjorie Harrington of WMU's Medieval Institute provided a lively presentation for students in Medieval Studies 2000 today. Hands-on learning and intellectual engagement from this passionate instructor are always a lot of fun.

Address

Kalamazoo, MI
49008

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Website

http://libguides.wmich.edu/speccoll

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