IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Special & Rare Collections will be open Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 5pm. (closed for lunch 12.30pm-1.30pm)
We ask that all visitors and researchers comply with the following COVID-safe practices:
- Please make an appointment via email at special.collections@utas.edu.au to assist us with managing the maximum occupancy requirements
- Maximum occupancy of 2 visitors at any one time and must be adhered to
- You are required to maintain the recommended 1.5m physical distance
- Make sure you have had your temperature checked before entering the Library. A temperature checking station is located at the entrance to Morris Miller Library
- If you are not a staff member or a student at UTAS you will need to sign in on entry to Morris Miller Library to enable contact tracing
- We are providing hand sanitiser, cleaning wipes and carrying out additional cleaning
- If you are feeling unwell please do not come to the Library
Staff will continue to respond to enquiries via email or telephone, including scanning and sending through required material via email. Thus an in-person visit may not be required. We are also quarantining material handled by researchers and visitors for 72 hours, in line with COVID-safe practices. For more information
The Special & Rare Collections manages and provides access to the cultural and historical records of the University as well as private papers and records from individuals; families; local businesses; community, charitable and cultural organisations; and The Royal Society of Tasmania Collection. It consists of special and rare books and early manuscripts; journals; maps; university records of a non-business nature; and private materials including diaries, letters, photographs, paintings and other collectable ephemera. Some of the material from our collections has been digitised and can be viewed on SPARC and the Open Access Repository (ePrints)
The Special and Rare Collections is located on Level 5 of the Morris Miller Library on the Sandy Bay Campus
| Contact | |
|---|---|
| Phone number | +61 3 6226 7883 or +61 3 6226 2789 |
| Special.Collections@utas.edu.au | |
| Postal address | Private Bag 25 Hobart 7001 |
| Opening hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday - Wednesday | 10.00am-5.00pm (closed for lunch 12.30pm-1.30pm) - please contact us by email to make an appointment |
| Thursday & Friday | Closed |
| Public Holidays | Closed |
When accessing materials from the Special and Rare Collections you will need to agree to and sign the conditions on the Consultation Form (PDF 253KB). If you are considering using Special and Rare materials for commercial publication you will need to use the Request to Publish form (PDF 224KB). These can be filled out in person when you arrive, or via email.
| Special Collections Staff | |
|---|---|
Wendy Rimon |
Heather Excell |
The Rare Book Collection is housed in the restricted-access Rare Room. The Collection comprises books, journals, maps and private papers from a range of sub-collections including Christ College (part of which remains uncatalogued), Abercrombie, Baikie, Dunbabin, Franklin, Quaker, Royal Society of Tasmania, St John Fisher College, University of Tasmania and Walker; plus other donated or acquired rare materials.
Search the Rare Book Collections
- UTAS Library Catalogue to locate Rare books and journals
- Manual indexes to the Christ College rare book collection are located in the Special & Rare Collections Reading Room
Access to the Rare Book Collections
Most rare materials are available for viewing and consultation in the Special & Rare Reading Room. Some materials may require access permission prior to viewing so we suggest you contact staff before visiting.
The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) Library is maintained by the UTAS Library. The Collection – some of which is held in the restricted-access Rare Room and some on open-access shelves - comprises a diverse range of approximately 7000 books and 1600 journal titles, the oldest printed book (c1472) in Tasmania, early maps and many 19th century private family deposit collections. Its flagship journal, The RST Papers & Proceedings, is held in both paper and electronic formats.
Search The RST Library Collection
- Index by subject (Excel 202 KB)
- Index by name (Excel 249.5 KB)
- Index to names with explanatory notes (some items have been scanned)
- Index to rare map collection
- UTAS Library catalogue to locate The RST books and journals
- Scanned items from a range of The RST materials
- Scanned The RST Papers & Proceedings articles
Access to the The RST Collection
Most of The RST rare materials are available for viewing and consultation in the Special & Rare Reading Room. Some materials may require access permission prior to viewing so we suggest you contact staff before visiting.
When accessing materials from Royal Society of Tasmania Collection you will need to agree to and sign the conditions on the Consultation Form (PDF 253KB). If you are considering using TRST materials for commercial publication you will need to use the Request to Publish (PDF 224KB) form. These can be filled out in person when you arrive, or via email.
Access to The RST Collection of books and journals housed in the compactus on Level 5 is available on request from the Special & Rare Collections staff Monday to Friday. Loan conditions, fall under the UTAS Library rules. Members of The Royal Society may borrow from the University Library as Community Borrowers. No fee is charged for Members.
| Loan Policy | |
|---|---|
| Monograph (Book) | not for loan |
| Serials (unbound) | not for loan |
| Serials (bound) |
3 day loan period - The Royal Society members, University staff and postgraduate students only |
The Royal Society of Tasmania website
The Quaker (i.e. Society of Friends) Collection, estimated to be the finest collection of Quaker materials in the Southern Hemisphere, was transferred to the UTAS Library Special and Rare Collections in 1971. It consists of approximately 3500 titles plus a diverse collection of early Quaker family letters, photographs, diaries, Society of Friends minutes and other materials on religious and social matters by and of interest to Quakers.
Search the Quaker Collection
- UTAS Library catalogue to locate the Quaker books
- Scanned items from a range of Quaker materials
- Index to Walker family materials (an early Tasmanian Quaker family)
- Online exhibition Quaker Life in Tasmania
Quaker Life in Tasmania - the first hundred years, by Michael Bennett, University of Tasmania Library, 2007
History of the Quaker Collection (by a former UTAS Special Collections Librarian)
Access to the Quaker Collection
Most Quaker rare materials are available for viewing and consultation in the Reading Room. Some materials may require access permission prior to viewing so we suggest you contact staff before visiting. Access to the Level 5 open-access part of the Quaker Collection is available for "library use only" in the Morris Miller Library, 9-5 Monday to Friday.
Private Deposits Collection
The Private Deposit Collections include materials from private individuals, families, charities, organisations and local business records relating to the intellectual, cultural and commercial life of early Tasmania.
Collections include: Andrew Inglis Clark, Quaker families (Cotton, Walker, Backhouse), Dr George Fordyce Story, Archer , Boyes, Leake, Pink, Midwood, Baptist Union and many other special collections.
Search the Private Deposits
- Index by subject (Excel 341 KB)
- Index by name (Excel 678 KB)
- Index to names with explanatory notes (some items have been scanned)
- Scanned items from a range of Private Deposits
Access the Private Deposits
Most Private Deposit materials are available for viewing and consultation in the Special & Rare Reading Room. Some Private Deposits, such as the Baptist Union records, require access permission prior to viewing so we suggest you contact staff before visiting.
The University records include: an extensive staff and student photograph collection; photographic slides, glass negatives and lantern slides; UTAS Letters Patent; architectural drawings and campus photographs; newsletters and magazines; oral histories; calendars and other older records and ephemeral materials of non- business nature.
Search the University Records Collections
- Index by subject (Excel 148 KB) (reference number)
- Index by name (Excel 113 KB) (surname, date, occupation, topic, reference number)
Christ College Collection (a sub-collection within the University Records)
- Search by name (Excel 48 KB)
- Search Library catalogue (some rare items have been catalogued)
Many of the Rare Christ College books and manuscripts remain uncatalogued. Interested persons may like to view the exhibition From Manuscript to Print or the Library Open Repository (ePrints) collection of images and email special.collections@utas.edu.au to organise a viewing time.
The UTAS photo collection (predominantly 1960-80s) remains uncatalogued.
Access to the University Records Collections Materials are open for viewing and consultation in the Special & Rare Reading Room.
Become a digital volunteer with the UTAS Library Special and Rare Collections. UTAS Library is dedicated to making its digital collections more visible and accessible online so that everyone can use and share them, now and in the future.
Help us by transcribing unique personal stories from diaries, letters and other historical documents. Transcribing old hand-writing into a digital copy makes it easier to find, share and work with. You can volunteer from home using your own computer. We will provide training and full support.
To find out more about becoming part of our volunteer community please contact: Juliet.beale@utas.edu.au
Projects:
Jane Franklin help decipher Lady Jane Franklin’s diary excerpts
Finding aids are the key to locating archival and other primary source materials held in the University of Tasmania Special & Rare Collections. The finding aid to an individual collection includes a detailed description of the collection, explains how it is organized, and outlines its contents, listing locations and reference numbers within a collection where relevant materials may be found.
Use these aids to explore descriptions of our unique holdings which include, archival collections, images, ephemera, and much more one-of-a-kind material.
The collections described in these finding aids are non-circulating, and can only be used in the University Special & Rare Reading Room. Please note the reference number so we are able to retrieve the item for you to view during our opening hours
- Private Deposit Collection (PDF 345KB)
The Private Deposit Collections include materials from private individuals, families, charities, organisations and local business records relating to the intellectual, cultural and commercial life of early Tasmania. - The Royal Society of Tasmania Deposit Collection (PDF286KB)
The Royal Society of Tasmania Deposit Collections includes early maps and many early 19th century private family deposit - University of Tasmania Collection (PDF 189KB)
The University records include: an extensive staff and student photograph collection; photographic slides, glass negatives and lantern slides; UTAS Letters Patent; architectural drawings and campus photographs; newsletters and magazines; oral histories; calendars and other older records and ephemeral materials of non- business nature. - Collections Combined (PDF 362KB)
- Open Access Repository (ePrints) - Special Collections
- UTAS Online Exhibitions
- Dr George Fordyce Story Collection
- Companion to Tasmanian History
- TAHO - Tasmanian Archives Online
- Tasmanian Historical Research Association
- Papers and Proceedings (Tasmanian Historical Research Association)
- East Coast Heritage Museum
- National Archives of Australia
- Tasmanian archives and heritage
- Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery
- Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery
- Military Museum of Tasmania
- University of Melbourne - Digital Cultural and Special Collections
- Australian National University - Rare books, special collections & manuscripts
- University of Sydney - Australian Digital Collections
- University of Sydney - Digital Collections
Quaker life in Tasmania: the first hundred years by Michael Bennett
ISBN I 86295 367 8
Quaker life in Tasmania: the first hundred years is an engagingly written and beautifully illustrated history of the Friends in Tasmania. From 1832, with the arrival of the first missionaries in Hobart and the establishment of the first Meeting, the Quakers have made a disproportionate contribution to Tasmanian life and welfare. Their witness against the brutal treatment of Aborigines and convicts, and their enterprise and philanthropy, played a considerable role in Tasmania's evolution from a vice-ridden penal settlement to a self-reliant and humane society. This is the fascinating story of remarkable women and men whose values, commitment and service remain an inspiration and living force in contemporary Tasmania. The book has sixty-four pages, six in full colour with over100 pictures of items selected from the collections of the Religious Society of Friends' Meeting House, the Friends' School, the University of Tasmania Library Special and Rare Collections, and private owners. An exhibition featuring many of these items was held at the University Library. Michael Bennett is Professor of History-; University of Tasmania, and the author of four books and many articles on British and Australian history.
$25 + postage
From manuscript to print by Rodney Thomson
ISBN 978 1 86295 483 0
From manuscript to print provides a description of all western manuscripts and early printed books to 1600 held in the University of Tasmania Library, the State Library of Tasmania and St. David's Cathedral, Hobart. It is also the catalogue of an exhibition displaying many of these items held at the University Library, December 2008- January 2009.
The book has one hundred and twenty eight pages, in full colour, with over 270 illustrations. Rodney Thomson is Professor of Medieval History in the School of History & Classics, University of Tasmania. He is the author of many books and papers on medieval books and learning, including descriptive catalogues of the manuscripts at Lincoln, Hereford and Worcester Cathedrals, and Merton College Oxford.
$45 + postage
Jigsaw treasures from the Special & Rare Collections
Midwood Collection - Miss Sarah Bignell
20 pieces - easy
63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Miss Sarah Bignell, school teacher at Hobart Ladies College, Anglesea Barracks. On the School wall was a framed text 'Follow after Truth'.
Caricature drawn by Thomas Claude Wade Midwood, Hobart, Tasmania, 1854-1912. Midwood was Tasmania’s first cartoonist of note. His output of caricatures of Hobart identities was prolific.
Find out more about Midwood or view more of Midwoods digitised works in the UTAS SPARC repository
The Royal Society Map Collection - Nova Orbis Tabula in Lucem edita A.F.de Wit.
20 pieces - easy63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Frederick de Wit (1630-1706) was a Dutch mathematician and cartographer and one of the leading mapmakers of the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography. (RSMp/8) See more in Mapping Van Diemens Land and the Great Beyond
Explore more of The Royal Society Collection in the UTAS Open Repository
Olive Pink Collection - Clianthus speciosum
20 pieces - easy63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Watercolour on card painted by Olive Pink at Wire Creek, South Australia 25/7/30.
Identified by Olive Pink as Clianthus speciosum (Dimensions 18.5x25.5cm)
Olive Muriel Pink (1884-1975), artist, Aboriginal-rights activist, anthropologist and gardener, was born on 17 March 1884 in Hobart
Find out more about Olive Pink or explore more of Olive Pinks digitised works in the UTAS SPARC repository
Lantern Slide Collection - Queen Victoria
20 pieces - easy63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Coloured lantern slide of Queen Victoria
Explore more digitised lantern slides in the UTAS SPARC repository
Tyler Collection - ‘Eastern Story’ – Corneliu Petrescu
1973, oil on paper, 40 x 49cm
20 pieces - easy63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Corneliu Petrescu (1924-2009) was a Romanian artist and life-long friend of Australian Geoffrey Tyler. Tyler worked for the IMF and amassed a personal art collection, predominantly of Romanian art, which was received by the University in 2013.
Tyler Collection - ‘George and the Dragon’ – Corneliu Petrescu
1976, mixed media on board, 29 x 24cm
20 pieces - easy63 pieces - moderate
120 pieces - hard
Explore more of the Tyler Collection