Primary contact
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
1961 East Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1
University of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections
Students, faculty, visiting scholars, researchers, and members of the general public are welcome to consult material in the Rare Books and Special Collections reading room in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
New users should be aware that Rare Books and Special Collections is a closed-stack area. Browsing is not permitted, and all materials are non-circulating.
To browse and search archival holdings, researchers use archival descriptions in finding aids and indexes. Research guides are also available. Once you’ve located your item(s) of interest, you can request materials at the front desk of RBSC.
Materials must be handled with care. Please do not mark them or erase existing marks. When taking notes, use only pencil – accidental ink-marks can be caused by even the most careful patrons, and marks from pens cannot be removed from materials without damaging them. Also, please do not use paper-clips, tape, “Post-It” notes, or rubber bands. As in most other areas of the Library, eating, drinking, and smoking are not allowed.
Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) staff are available to assist researchers in locating archival or published material, to advise on research questions and to carry out copying requests. To contact a RBSC staff member, please see our directory.
Requests from researchers of a librarian or archivist to conduct in-depth research fall outside the scope of work we are able to carry out. For example, we are unable to accept requests to search archival fonds or collections for all material related to a person/subject area or date range. Similarly, we are unable to carry out copying requests that do not indicate specific items/files in an archival collection. If you are not able to come to RBSC yourself, you may wish to hire an independent consultant to conduct research on your behalf.
Please visit the RBSC Reproduction/permission request form and fee schedule for information on reproduction services.