Our Adopt-a-Rare-Book Program provides funding to support the conservation needs of books in the Rare Book Collection and the Pennsylvania Collection housed in the IUP Special Collections and University Archives.
Your donation allows the University Libraries to build our collections, repair rare books in need for professional conservation, and preserve these important resources for the future.
Adopting a rare book is an excellent way to celebrate an occasion, honor an individual or family member, and support the mission of the University Libraries. See the books available for adoption.
IUP Libraries Rare Book Collections
The University Libraries collects and provides access to many rare books in need of professional conservation. These titles are cataloged and can be found in the online library catalog. The Rare Book Collection and the Pennsylvania Collection are frequently used for instruction and research by students, faculty, the university community, and visiting scholars
When you adopt a book, you will be acknowledged on the University Libraries' website and receive a custom bookplate to be housed in your adopted book. Your generous donation to the University Libraries is tax deductible.
What Adopting a Rare Book Supports
Donations through the Adopt-a-Rare-Book program are used to support the conservation and preservation of rare books. Different titles require different levels of preservation and conservation, which are described below:
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$500 (Custom Clamshell Box): Creation of a custom-fit clamshell box that will help protect the individual book
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$750 (Deacidification and Custom Clamshell Box): Acidic paper (usually found in titles from 1850-2000) will be deacidified, and a custom-fit clamshell box will be created for the book
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$1,000 (Conservation): For books requiring deacidification of acidic paper, repair to the endpapers, and/or consolidation of the spine
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$1,500 (Full Conservation): For books requiring significant repair to the binding, endpapers, and/or text, deacidification, and creation of a custom clamshell box
More Information
If you have questions or comments, or would like to know more about our Adopt-a-Rare-Book Program, please contact Harrison Wick, University Archivist, via phone at 724-357-3039, or via email to hwick@iup.edu.