Rare Books and Special Collections
Rare books are housed in the Thomas E. and Jennie W. Welmers Rare Book Reading Room on the lower level of the Van Wylen Library.
The collection includes works on art, history, literature, mathematics, and science as well as a collection of bibles. The library welcomes inquiries about the collection and will be pleased to help students and faculty use rare books in their classes and scholarship. Rare books may be used under supervision in either the Rare Books Reading Room or the Director’s Conference Room. Contact a librarian to set up an appointment to use rare materials.
The Rare Books room is open anytime the library is open Monday through Friday and may be reserved with special permission through the EMS system. The room is closed on weekends.
The majority of materials in this collection have been received as gifts from friends of the college. We welcome additional gifts of rare and special materials that meet our collection development guidelines. We especially would like to collect materials that illustrate the history of the book and examples of early manuscripts. Please contact the Director of Libraries.
Other special collections at Hope College include the collections of the Joint Archives of Holland and the Van Raalte Institute.
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