Stewarded by a team of specialists, Rauner Special Collections Library houses over 100,000 rare books, millions of manuscripts, and the extensive Dartmouth College Archives. The team collaborates and partners with students, faculty, staff, and the archive-curious at Dartmouth—and across the globe—to accelerate research and advance scholarship. Come and get hands on with us!

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If you’ve been to the Rauner mezzanine this summer, you may have noticed that we’re offering swag: free stickers from the 1971 Liberated Woman’s Appointment Calendar and Survival Handbook, currently on display in our Rauner Staff Picks exhibit.
Frederick Ransom was a member of the Class of 1820, though he did not reach graduation. We don't know much about him. He came from a local family in South Woodstock, Vermont, and died of tuberculosis in 1817, at the age of nineteen. The only reason we ran into his name is because of the steps his father took to prevent the disease from spreading to others in his family. 

Tuberculosis has a long history alongside humanity, and it remains the leading cause of death by infectious disease worldwide today.

Part of a letter by Joel Parker praising Nathan Lord
On July 24, 1863, Rev. Nathan Lord resigned the presidency of Dartmouth College, an office he had held for thirty-five years. He gave it up rather than retract his defense of slavery: a defense he had grounded in Scripture rather than morality, and one that had made him a liability to the College in the eyes of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees and a favorite target of the abolitionist press.

Exhibits

Rauner Staff Picks. Shows comic book like labels for Books!, Manuscripts!, Photos!, Scrolls!, Paintings!, Postcards!, and Much Much More! Multiple colors on a blue background.
Now on Exhibit
July 02, 2026 - September 04, 2026
Rauner Library, Class of 1965 Galleries
Triptych like image. Left hand illustration  depicts older man with book in lap and quill pen in hand. Middle depicts Black man reclining in field with book. Right hand depicts woman in chains.
April 06, 2026 - June 19, 2026
Rauner Library, Class of 1965 Galleries
Illustration of a man on a white horse blowing a long trumpet with a woman and another figure behind. Trees, hedges, and a rendering of the US capitol in background, right.
January 07, 2026 - March 13, 2026
Rauner Library, Class of 1965 Galleries