About the Collection
The Rare Materials Collection includes books and journals requiring special handling due to age, rarity, value, condition, or subject matter. Access to this storage area is restricted; materials must be requested individually and used under staff supervision. Materials may be photocopied, scanned, or photographed.
Some rare materials, including pre-1876 publications, high-value items, and vulnerable illustrated works are available in the Library Search and CU Anschutz Digital Collections.
Rare Materials Policy
The Strauss Library welcomes the use of our Rare Materials Collection and asks that you follow these policies to help preserve them for future users.
- Appointments: Use of rare materials is by appointment only. Please schedule at least two days in advance (or one week for groups of four or more).
- Supervised Visits: Materials must be used in the library under staff supervision. Researchers must register, show photo ID, and agree to the Rare Materials policies and handling guidelines on their first visit.
- Personal Items: Bags, coats, and food/drinks are not permitted in the Rare Materials areas. Only pencil and paper or electronic devices are allowed for notetaking.
- Handling & Care: Clean hands or gloves are required for handling rare materials. To reduce damage to fragile items, the library provides gloves, book cradles, weights and bookmarks for researcher use.
- Scanning: Scanning services are provided by staff at their discretion; fragile items may not be copied.
- Photography: Personal photography is allowed under staff supervision and is subject to copyright restrictions.
- Long-Term Use: Materials can be set aside for multiple visits.
- Credit: Publications using rare materials should include proper credit: Courtesy of the Rare Materials Collection, Strauss Health Sciences Library, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. A courtesy copy of any publication using rare materials is appreciated.
To request image copies of resources in the Rare Materials Collection, see the Image Reproduction Request form for more information.
For inquiries, please contact Yumin Jiang by email: yumin.jiang@cuanschutz.edu.
To make an appointment to visit the Strauss Library Rare Materials Collection, please fill out the form on this page.
