The Rare Books Department holds more than 80,000 books, maps, ephemera and realia documenting the record of human communication from ancient clay tablets to contemporary artists’ books. The primary function of the department is to collect and provide access to the materials for students, faculty and staff of the University of Utah along with off-campus visitors from other institutions and community members of Utah and the world. In addition to providing services to library patrons, the department partners with professors and lecturers on campus and provides lessons and presentations in the Rare Books Classroom. 

When working with primary sources and physically handling such rare materials, the department believes that students respond with a better understanding of the variety of networks that link different cultures across time, borders and languages. Using your curriculum as a guide, let the department do the work of compiling a list of books to present to the students. 

The team can visit your class for a few minutes and introduce the collection to the students. Or, for those interested, they can discuss a more in-depth presentation specific to the course curriculum. Either way, they’d love to share the collection with you!  

Scheduling a presentation is easy! Simply send an email to lyuba.basin@utah.edu and the Rare Books team will coordinate a time and what materials would be best to share for that specific course or community event.