Arts Library Special Collections

Explore the Arts Library Special Collections

To find current access policy for non-Yale researchers, please see Plan your visit.
To see current opening hours, visit the Buildings & Hours page. Seat reservations may be required during recess.
Questions? Visit our Accessing Arts Library Special Collections guide or email us at haasalsc@yale.edu

The Arts Library Special Collections (ALSC) are composed of materials from the former Art+Architecture and Drama libraries, as well as the Arts of the Book Collection.  ALSC  holdings include contemporary catalogues raisonnés,  18th- and 19th-century works on artists and architecture, a broad selection of fine press and artists’ books, rare research materials in support of these subject areas, and the Faber  Birren Collection of Books on Color.

In addition, ALSC has manuscript and archival holdings in book arts, art history, and drama. Theatrical production is docu­mented through photographs, production books, scrapbooks, and ephemera. The Yale Bookplate Collection contains ex-libris prints and process materials, such as original sketches, plates, and woodblocks. The Arts of the Book Collection maintains archives of Fritz Eichenberg, Fritz Kredel, Richard Minsky, Carl P. Rollins, and many smaller collections about the book arts.

ALSC showcases its collections in the William H. Wright Special Collections Exhibition Area on the lower level of the Haas Family Arts Library. ALSC collections, exhibitions, and related programs are free and open to the public (due to COVID 19 restrictions, exhibitions are currently open only to Yale affiliates authorized on campus).