Two students page through an old book that rests on a cushion and table.

The return of UW’s rarest books

After an 18-month hiatus, Memorial Library’s Special Collections — and its 300,000 invaluable objects — are accessible again.

By Dean Robbins

Photos by Taylor Wolfram

September 23, 2026

Many of us know what it’s like to go down a rabbit hole in UW–Madison libraries, losing track of time while pursuing a research obsession. At Memorial Library, arguably the best place to get lost is Special Collections.

The ninth-floor wonderland is a portal to books, hand-written manuscripts, periodicals, maps, posters and other objects that are, well, special. They’re old, rare, fragile or invaluable and require delicate handling. Many are part of scholarly archives such as the Cairns Collection of American Women Writers, the Duveen Alchemy and Chemistry Collection, and the Fry Collection of Italian History and Culture. They’re stored in a secure, climate-controlled environment to keep them safe for knowledge-seekers into the 22nd century and beyond.

A wide-angle photo of the Special Collections exhibit, with artifacts contained in glass display cases. — Located on the ninth floor of Memorial Library, Special Collections is a portal to books, hand-written manuscripts, periodicals, maps, posters and other old or rare objects. Photo: Taylor Wolfram / UW–Madison

On August 24, Special Collections reopened its reading room and exhibition space after an 18-month renovation to the all-important fire-suppression systems. For visitors, accessing the vast holdings involves making an online request and having the treasures brought to you, like academic room service. Be advised that these beauties don’t leave the ninth floor, lest you expected to check out a 1st century B.C. papyrus fragment.

Special Collections dates to the 1940s, under the original name Rare Book Department. Through donations and purchases, it has amassed 300,000-plus objects, everything from a 1582 German bible to books from Isaac Newton’s personal library.

Two people look at the page of an oversized book with illustrated birds. — Among the most renowned items in Special Collections is the first edition of “The Birds of America” by John James Audubon. “It can be an emotional experience” to interact with such books, says Associate Dean David Pavelich, pictured above with librarian Emily Spunaugle. Photo: Taylor Wolfram / UW–Madison

An old book is displayed and held open by a pointer finger. — “Secrets Reveal’d” by George Starkey (1669), with hand-written annotations by Isaac Newton, is among the 300,000-plus objects in the Special Collections. Photo: Taylor Wolfram / UW–Madison

A notebook with hand-written notes and a portrait of a woman. — Many objects are part of scholarly archives such as the Cairns Collection of American Women Writers, which includes Emma S. Doughten’s European Trip albums (above). Written in 1901 and 1902, the albums document in remarkable detail the travels of a woman on an unaccompanied tour across Europe. Photo: Taylor Wolfram / UW–Madison

The collection’s strengths include literary magazines and natural history. Among its most renowned items are first editions of “The Birds of America” by John James Audubon and “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” by Phillis Wheatley, both of which are used extensively in UW teaching and research.

Indeed, the UW’s rare books don’t gather much dust. Scholars from around the world seek them out, as do students from dozens of UW classes each year. While a small fraction of the collection is digitized, the primary appeal is the chance to hold these extraordinary objects in your hands.

Two students page through rare books that are displayed on a table. — Each year, students from dozens of UW classes — including English 177: How We Remember: Plato to ChatGPT, pictured above — get the chance to hold these extraordinary objects in their hands.

A graduate student assistant holds open a rare book and discusses it with two students. — Each year, students from dozens of UW classes — including English 177: How We Remember: Plato to ChatGPT, pictured above — get the chance to hold these extraordinary objects in their hands.

“It can be an emotional experience to interact with something that was created, say, in the 14th or 15th century — different from interacting with something online,” says David Pavelich, UW Libraries’ associate dean for collections. “You pay a different kind of attention to it, appreciating the materiality and the workmanship. How was this thing produced? How was it experienced by people of the period that it comes from?”

Pavelich says library staff can see the excitement in students’ faces. “They say, ‘Can I touch this?’ And we say, ‘Yes. You can touch that.’ ”