Online Collections / Exhibitions
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Online Collections / Exhibitions
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The Library's Special and Rare Collections are managed by the Physical Collections, which is a unit of the Library's Resource Management section. The collections house the Library's special and rare books, as well as archives deposits. All of the collections are located on level five of the Morris Miller Library.
The rare book and archives collections are housed in the rare book room, which is located behind the Rare and Special Collections Office and workroom. Those materials not considered to be rare are found in the Quaker and Royal Society special collections that are located on open shelves on level five.
There are also much smaller rare book collections held at the Art, Music, and Law libraries.
Rare Book Collections:
The Library's Special and Rare Collections house the Library's largest single collection of rare books (including serialized publications). Apart from holding rare books that belong directly to the Morris Miller Library, the collection is made up of a number of smaller, unique rare collections:
Abercrombie; Baikie; Christ College (including the Franklin collection); Dunbabin; Quaker; Royal Society of Tasmania; St. John Fisher College; Walker.
As material in the Special and Rare Collections may only be used in the Library, clients should ask Special and Rare Collections staff about using all rare materials.
The Special and Rare Collections office is normally staffed between 11am-1pm and 2pm and 4pm, Tuesday to Thursday.
All rare books are discoverable via the Library's online catalog. Another worthwhile finding-aid is From Manuscript to Print by Rodney M. Thomson. This book provides a description of all western manuscripts and early printed books held in the University of Tasmania Library Special and Rare Collections, as well as the State Library of Tasmania collections.
Special Book Collections:
The Quaker and Royal Society of Tasmania book collections
Also housed on level 5 of the Morris Miller Library are the Quaker (i.e. Society of Friends) and Royal Society of Tasmania collections. Both collections were deposited with the University by their respective organizations, with subsequent additions made by donation and accessioned by the Library. All items may be found via the Library's catalog. Material from these collection are only to be removed from the Library with the consent of the Senior Librarian, Physical Collections.
For further information on the Library's Quaker collection, please see also:
The Special and Rare Collections is the Library's repository for historic archives deposited by various institutions, businesses, families, or individuals. Archival deposits kept by the Library are those considered to be of sufficient historical interest to warrant careful preservation and maintenance. The collection also consists of some of the University's older records of a non-official nature.
The various archives collections held by the Library may be viewed via Indexes to archival material (including the old indexes to the formal University Archives which still provides some guide to the contents now transferred to the Archives Office of Tasmania).
Some archives deposits listed in the indexes have some restrictions on their use, and on the reproduction and publication of material extracted from them. For this reason, access to such material may require prior permission from the depositor(s). Please call Special and Rare Collections staff for advice.
State records that were part of the Library's University archives are now held at the Archives Office of Tasmania.
Increasingly, material from the archives held by Special and Rare collections are being made available online. There is a continuing effort to scan selected letters, diaries, documents, photographs, lantern slides and other materials from the collections into ePrints. See: Online items from the UTAS Special and Rare collections
See also Online exhibitions
Follow this link to see online versions of exhibitions that have been held in the Morris Miller Library.
The Special and Rare Collections service is now mostly limited to maintenance of, and access to existing collections. The collections no longer take in new material from outside organizations or individuals unless such deposits supplement existing holdings, or form a valuable and related addition to the collections.
The Special/Rare Collection staff are able to undertake limited searches for material for outside users. Access to files and material is extended to personal visitors.
