Category Archives: General Information

Please Pardon Our Dust…..

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Photo of the front of Boatwright Library under construction with dirt hill and machinery.
Construction in front of Boatwright Library Summer 2023 (Photo credit: Travis Smith)

If you have driven by Boatwright Library recently, you will have seen the large construction areas surrounding parts of the library. This summer, work started on an 18-month project that will bring beautiful new spaces and exciting things to this campus landmark.

During this time, the library is open and available to students, faculty, staff and community members as usual. Our department — Book Arts, Archives, and Rare Books — is right in the middle of the construction zone, so it requires some changes to our availability. While under construction, we will be able to continue to assist researchers by appointment only. Our resources are available for your research or class assignments, and our staff is available to assist you with book arts, rare book, or archival projects.

The best way to contact us during this time is via email: archives@richmond.edu for rare books and archival assistance and bookarts@richmond.edu for assistance with book arts projects or instruction.

We appreciate your patience during the project and look forward to enjoying these new spaces in the future!

Fall 2022 Open Hours

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After several years of closure due to construction and the ongoing pandemic, we are finally able to reopen the newly renovated Rare Book Reading Room for regular open hours! The newly renovated space is part of the newly renovated floor B1 of Boatwright Memorial Library in the heart of the University of Richmond campus. The fall 2022 semester schedule for open hours is as follows:

Tuesdays: 12pm-2pm
Wednesdays: 12pm-3pm
Thursdays: 9am-12pm
Fridays: 11am-2pm

We can of course accommodate researchers by appointment outside of these hours, and we encourage all researchers to reach out before arriving so we can have material pulled and ready for your research. You can reach out directly by emailing us at archives@richmond.edu. Please also bear in mind that these hours are subject to change, especially in regards to University or federal holidays and staff availability.

When planning a research visit, you can find our rare books, including the Book Arts collection, in the library catalog and review our open archival collections in our online collection inventories. For questions on our holdings or assistance in locating material, please email us at archives@richmond.edu.

Under Construction (again)

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Last week’s Library Minute by University Librarian Kevin Butterfield highlighted some of the exciting new changes coming to Boatwright Memorial Library and specifically to the B1 level as it goes under construction for the 2021-22 academic year. The Rare Books, Special Collections & Book Arts team is very much looking forward to moving into new spaces next summer, areas that will allow for greater interaction and activities with students, faculty, and staff as well as increased opportunities for collaboration, especially with University Museums.

Even though Level B1 is under construction, we are definitely not closed and are already actively engaged in fall instruction and outreach. Work with students and faculty in classes, on specific assignments, and on individual projects and research requests continues as we creatively work around some temporary spaces. If you are considering adding instruction sessions for book arts, rare books, or archives, please reach out to any of the department’s staff or use the links below.  If we can be of assistance with a research or reference request, we are happy to accommodate those requests as well. There are also lots of materials available to explore through the library’s Digital Collections.

We’re looking forward to new spaces in the coming year but know that throughout the construction process during this academic year, we are here to assist your research, reference, and class projects.

Book Arts Instruction Request

Rare Books & Special Collections Instruction Request

Rare Books & Special Collections Materials Reference Request

RBSC – Fall Semester 2020

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This week, we welcome back students, staff, and faculty to campus as classes start again. Boatwright Library, like all campus buildings, is following the University’s re-opening plan and protocols. At this time, then, the library building is restricted to only UR community members, and you must have your UR ID to enter the building.

However, we are excited to be planning instruction sessions and scheduling research appointments to use materials in the rare books, archives, and book arts collections. All research requests will be by appointment only until the UR campus reaches the “green level” status. To request an appointment to research, please use the Materials Request form or contact either Taylor McNeilly or Lynda Kachurek

Please check the library’s COVID FAQ page for more information on the library reopening.