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Location
& Hours |
Thomas Cooper Library's special collections are
available to registered researchers in the Graniteville Room, entered through
the
mezzanine exhibit area. Reading room hours are
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (except during holidays and the winter break).
Detailed information on individual items may be found in the library's online
catalog. Results limited
to Rare Books and Special Collections may be obtained by choosing "Columbia
Cooper Rare Books" on the main search page. The department may be reached by
telephone at (803) 777-3847 or by
e-mail. |
Online
Collections |
Online collections are divided into six categories: 1. The Core Collection, 2. Natural History, 3. Historical Collections, 4. British Literature, 5. American Literature, and 6. Children's Literature. Links are provided below both to full exhibits and to briefer descriptions of individual collections. |
| The Core Collection and the History of the Book |
The heart of the University's rare book collection remains the library of the original South Carolina College, books purchased or donated during the early nineteenth century. This library was particularly strong in general and classical literature, modern history, travel books, and natural history. With later additions, these core collections illustrate the history of the printed book and its cultural role from the invention of printing to the twentieth century.
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| Natural History & Science Collections
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Significant additions to the original natural history collection in the South Carolina College library include:
Henry William Ravenel (1814-1887)
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| Historical Collections |
Among notable additions to the University's strength in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American history has been the important Campanella Collection in Italian history.
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| Children's Literature Collections
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The core collection of children's literature, chiefly of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is now complemented by selective twentieth-century additions.
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