Special Collections at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries

Special Collections at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries Special Collections at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries Ours is no exception.

The Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation at the University of Rochester's acquisition of rare books and manuscripts, usually by gift, goes back to the beginning of the University and its library. The first major manuscript collection, the Lewis Henry Morgan Papers, was received in 1909, in the Morgan bequest. However, the separate departmental collection began with the o

pening of the Rush Rhees Library in 1930, with its Treasure Room and vault. In the 1930s, a Local History Room was also created, later renamed Local History and Archives. These divisions merged in 1955 to form the Department of Special Collections, rechristened Rare Books, Manuscripts and Archives in 1969, and Rare Books and Special Collections in 1983. Upon completion of the 1970 addition to Rush Rhees Library, the Department moved to the second floor of the East Wing. No library of any size or stature could exist without the generous support of the collectors and donors who, in many cases, almost define the institution. We extend our deepest thanks for their contribution to a fine university library.

Jazz fest is right around the corner, and we’re looking back on the success of Chuck Mangione (1940-2025), a Rochester n...
06/17/2026

Jazz fest is right around the corner, and we’re looking back on the success of Chuck Mangione (1940-2025), a Rochester native and Eastman School of Music graduate. 🎓🎺🎶

Chuck Mangione, a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer, started his career playing in Rochester’s jazz clubs throughout the 1950s and 60s alongside his brother Gap Mangione and their band The Jazz Brothers. Before achieving mainstream success, Chuck taught at the Hochstein School, and he directed The Eastman School of Music’s Jazz Ensemble in the late 60s. Later with his own performance group, The Chuck Mangione Quartet, Chuck received two Grammy awards and fourteen nominations throughout his career. He is best known for his album Feels So Good (1977) and his contributions to the contemporary jazz movement. 

At RBSCP, we house his uncle Jerre Mangione’s extensive collection of written material and other ephemera, which includes family photographs, publicity materials, etc. relating to Chuck and Gap Mangione’s musical careers. This post highlights a collage of headlines and features that were published between the 60s and 90s. 📚

Special thanks to our student employee, Emma Hilger, for her work towards this post! 💖

Congratulations to our 2026 David and Ann Vincent and Zagorin fellowship recipients! Learn more about each recipients up...
05/08/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 David and Ann Vincent and Zagorin fellowship recipients! Learn more about each recipients upcoming research in their slide.

More information about each fellowship can be found in a link in our bio.

Please consider supporting the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation on this Day of Giving!You...
05/06/2026

Please consider supporting the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation on this Day of Giving!

Your gift to the Rare Books and Special Collections Fund supports our print and digital collections as well as rare and unique items that tell the story of Rochester's rich history.

Funds support the acquisition of rare and unique materials, both physical and digital, for customized curricular experiences, curated exhibits, citizen scholarship, and collaborations with other cultural institutions.

Please consider making a gift by clicking the link below.
https://give.rochester.edu/campaigns/69538/donations/new?tc=93250&designation=RareBooksandSpecialCollectionsFund&a=12793062&utm_source=RCL&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dayofgiving26

04/29/2026

Happy Preservation Week! 📚✨

Today we’re in the RBSCP preservation lab, learning more about the care, housing, and thoughtful decision-making that go into preserving the diverse materials in our collections for the long term.

🧤 To Glove or Not to Glove 🧤 Happy Preservation Week!Ever wondered when librarians wear gloves—and when we don’t? Our vi...
04/27/2026

🧤 To Glove or Not to Glove 🧤 Happy Preservation Week!

Ever wondered when librarians wear gloves—and when we don’t? Our video breaks it down! Here’s a quick guide to what you’re seeing and why it matters:

Textiles — NOT to Glove
Clean, washed hands are best for textiles. Bare hands provide better dexterity and sensitivity, helping prevent snags, tears, or accidental stress on fragile fibers. Gloves can actually make handling riskier by reducing your sense of touch.

📗 Green Books — GLOVE
Some 19th-century green book cloths were colored with arsenic-based pigments. Because arsenic can be harmful if absorbed through the skin or ingested, nitrile gloves are recommended, along with thorough handwashing after handling.

📄 Paper — NOT to Glove
Studies have shown that clean, dry hands are safer than gloves for paper. Gloves reduce dexterity and increase the risk of tears or dropped materials—washed hands give better control.

📸 Photographs — GLOVE
Photographs are made with various chemicals. Oils and acids from our skin can cause staining, fading, or long-term damage, so gloves help protect the image surface.

Photographs in Mylar Sleeves — NOT to Glove
When photographs are safely housed in Mylar sleeves, gloves aren’t necessary. The sleeve acts as a barrier, making this ideal for teaching environments and frequently used materials.

Metal Objects — GLOVE
Skin oils and salts can accelerate corrosion on metal. Gloves help prevent rust, tarnish, and chemical reactions that can permanently damage objects.

📚 Books in Cradles — NOT to Glove
When books are properly supported in cradles, clean hands allow for careful page turning and better control.

✨ The takeaway: It’s not about always wearing gloves—it’s about choosing the safest method for each material. Thanks for celebrating Preservation Week with us!

Our very own Eric Ensley, the Joseph N. Lambert and Harold B. Schleifer Director of Rare Books, Special Collections, and...
04/24/2026

Our very own Eric Ensley, the Joseph N. Lambert and Harold B. Schleifer Director of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, was a recent guest on WXXI’s “Connections with Evan Dawson,” where they discussed the role of the university during — and after — times of war. You can find their conversation wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 📰🫖This month, RBSCP student employee, Roshele Jean-Baptiste, presents SASSY, the Gen-X teen ma...
04/16/2026

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 📰🫖

This month, RBSCP student employee, Roshele Jean-Baptiste, presents SASSY, the Gen-X teen magazine for forward-thinking young women and its impacts on the culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. SASSY grew out of publisher Sandra Yate’s and editor Jane Pratt’s dissatisfaction with teen magazines for young women. Launched in 1988, the publication quickly found an audience among readers hungry for a magazine that reflected their actual lives and concerns, rather than one that offered an idealized version of adolescence.

Did you know RBSCP holds nearly a full run of the magazine? Stop by to see more!

Interested in highlighting a piece of our collection over tea and treats? Email our director, Eric Ensley, at [email protected]! ✨

Feeling inspired by Artemis II? Let’s take a look back at history from our very own Kodak Historical Collection! 🌕 📸NASA...
04/10/2026

Feeling inspired by Artemis II? Let’s take a look back at history from our very own Kodak Historical Collection! 🌕 📸

NASA’s Lunar Orbiter I was the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Its primary mission was to capture detailed photographs of smooth areas of the lunar surface for safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. Its main instrument? None other than Eastman Kodak’s Lunar Orbiter photographic subsystem! Weighing in at one hundred and fifty pounds- this system captured, developed, scanned, and sent images back to earth. Most of the testing was done at Kodak’s plant in Rochester, but the acceleration force tests for stress were conducted on a large centrifuge in Everett, Massachusetts. When Dr. William Feldman, Kodak’s Lunar Orbiter program manager, found out the subsystem worked in space, “he passed out ci**rs and told everyone that they had given birth to a healthy infant”. The image pictured here, taken on August 23rd, 1966, was the first photograph of Earth taken from the vicinity of the Moon! The original record consisted of sixty strips of 35-mm film that had to be edge-matched.

Looking to dive more into aerial and space photography? Visit RBSCP to learn more! 🚀

04/06/2026

Think you’ve got an eye for art? You may find that some of the most beautiful pieces are hidden right under your nose. 🕵️🖼️

A practice that prides itself on secrecy, fore-edge paintings are invisible at first glance. But, if you look closely, pages you thought were ordinary reveal themselves to be incredible works of watercolor. The next time you see a book from the 18th or 19th centuries, make sure to check its fore-edge- you may be missing a masterpiece!

Not sure where to find books like these? Come visit us at RBSCP! 📚🔎

*Clamp visualization made possible by the University of Sydney.
*Certain materials may contain traces of Arsenic. Nitrile gloves worn to reduce direct skin contact with potentially harmful chemicals.

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 🧚🏻 🫖This month, RBSCP’s stacks manager, Ali Wilkie, presents the unsung women editors of Andre...
03/18/2026

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 🧚🏻 🫖

This month, RBSCP’s stacks manager, Ali Wilkie, presents the unsung women editors of Andrew Lang’s The Violet Fairy Book, edited in 1901, in which we hold a first edition copy. Andrew Lang’s Coloured Fairy Books are a collection of twelve volumes containing fairytales from across the globe created by Andrew and Leonora Blanche Lang. Upon their publication, the volumes became the first major anthology of fairy tales to include stories from a large variety of sources, including many tales printed in English for the first time. However, despite the volumes being a collaborative effort between Andrew Lang, Nora Lang, and a larger group of women editors, it is Andrew Lang alone who often receives the sole credit for the anthology.

The Violet Fairy Book contains thirty-five fairy tales from the folklore of Portugal, Romania, Germany, Italy, Africa, Scandinavia, Russia, Serbia, and Japan. Nora and a team of up to seventeen women translators took over the bulk of the work, translating the tales from their original languages. A prolific feat! Her first credited collaboration, where she was named in the preface written by Andrew, can be seen in the third volume of the series, The Green Fairy Book. In the volumes published between 1908 and 1912, she received full publishing credit on the title page. Mr. Lang writes in the preface of The Lilac Fairy Book, “My part has been that of Adam, according to Mark Twain, in the Garden of Eden. Eve worked, Adam superintended. I also superintend. I find out where the stories are, and advise, and, in short, superintend.”, describing Nora’s achievements. Visit RBSCP to learn more!

Interested in highlighting a piece of our collection over tea and treats? Email our director, Eric Ensley, at [email protected]! ✨

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