This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 4600 items) |
Abstract | The Library's Rare Book Collection had its origin in the establishment, in 1929, of the Hanes Foundation for the Study of the Origin and Development of the Book, which was made possible by an endowment from the family of John Wesley and Anna Hodgin Hanes. The Hanes endowment enabled the Library to acquire a fine colleciton of incunabula, which became the core of its rare book holdings. Other endowments were later obtained and valuable collections added, including collections of Shakespeare, Johnson, Boswell, Dickens, and Cruikshank. In 1952 the Library's rare books were brought together in a new Rare Book Room. Lawrence F. London became the first full-time Curator of Rare Books in 1959 and served until 1975. The collection consists of correspondence and other files relating to the establishment of the Hanes Foundation for the Study of the Origin and Development of the Book, and the subsequent development and administration of the Library's Rare Book Collection, as well as posters for events sponsored by the Rare Book Collection from 1982 to 2017. |
Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rare Book Collection. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives Staff
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated because of addition by Jennifer Coggins and Laura Smith, January 2018
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
The Rare Book Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has its origins in the Hanes family's 1929 gift of a significant collection of incunabula. At the time of the gift, Frederic M. Hanes announced that he and other members of his family would continue to support the growth of a collection that would include examples of the origin and development of the book. Hanes also said he thought the University should provide an appropriate setting for such a collection. The Great Depression and World War II intervened, however, and it was not until the completion in 1952 of an addition to the Library that the University was able to establish its Rare Book Room, now called the Rare Book Collection.
When the Rare Book Room opened in 1952, it was one of the administrative responsibilities of the Associate Librarian, who administered it with the assistance of a part-time librarian and a research assistant. The first full-time Curator was appointed in 1959. Curators have included Lawrence Foushee London (1959-1975), Paul S. Koda (1975-1984), Roberta Engleman, Acting (1984-1985), and Charles McNamara (1986-2006).
Back to TopThe Records of the Rare Book Collection contain correspondence, memoranda, gift records, and clippings. Most of the correspondence and memoranda deal with acquisitions for the collection. There is considerable correspondence with the Hanes family, William Henry Hoyt, William Asbury Whitaker, and other donors to the collection. Also included are posters for events sponsored by the Rare Book Collection, 1982 to 2017.
Back to TopThis addition consists of posters created for lectures, exhibits, and other events sponsored by the Rare Book Collection.
Transferredy by the Rare Book Collection, November 2017 (RT 20171120.1).
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-40056/1-2
OPF-40056/1OPF-40056/2 |
Rare Book Collection event posters, 1982-2017 |