Stewarded by librarians and archivists, Rauner Special Collections Library houses over 140,000 rare books, millions of individual manuscripts, and the extensive Dartmouth Archives.
Rauner partners with students, faculty, staff, and the archive-curious at Dartmouth—and around the globe—to accelerate research, advance scholarship, and support teaching. Come explore the past with an eye towards the future! Noteworthy collection items include the personal papers of Robert Frost, Shakespeare’s First Folio from 1623, medieval Books of Hours, and a copy of the first Bible printed in the American colonies.
Search Our Collections
- Library Search: Books, periodicals, manuscripts, or theses.
- Archives and Manuscripts Search: Archival and manuscript collections.
- Digital Collections and Resources: Photos or other digitized materials.
- Oral History Collections: Interviews with former Dartmouth students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members.
Distinctive Digital Collections
Polar Studies
These digitized collections offer diaries, papers, photographs, and more from polar expeditions from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Dartmouth History
Wide-ranging collections that include images from college photographers, history of the library, winter carnival posters, the paper's of Samson Occom, and many others.
Manuscripts
Manuscripts are handwritten books or documents. Examine an illuminated book of hours, personal diaries, custom jewelry design books, and more.
Donations
The impact of private collectors and institutions on the Dartmouth College Library’s collections cannot be overstated. Rauner Special Collections Library has benefited from notable collectors like Herbert West, Allerton Hickmott, and Mark Lansburgh, as well as contributions from the Pilobolus Dance Theater and many other Friends of the Libraries. Without these generous donations, the Library would not have its impressive holdings and invaluable resources that support the College's educational mission.
Collections Care
Dartmouth Libraries prioritizes collections care and ensures the longevity of and accessibility to its diverse archival and library materials by maintaining meticulous environmental controls, treating fragile and rare items, consulting on storage practices, and providing preservation trainings for staff.
