About:
For a brief overview of the materials found in Special Collections, see our page on the library website
Location:
Reading Room for Archives + Special Collections
Room 223, second floor
Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
How to identify materials in Special Collections:
All materials are listed in the online catalog & are distinguished by RISD location prefixes "special", "special oversize", "flat folio", "large folio", "special periodical", and "artists' books"
Access:
If you have identified a specific book or periodical in Special Collections that you wish to see, you may drop in any time we are open.
If you are not sure what special materials might be of use from the collection, please contact the Special Collections Librarian, Laurie Whitehill Chong to schedule an appointment. We can discuss your research needs and find materials suited to them.
Large Folio NK 1510 .J7
1856 The
Grammar of Ornament/ Owen Jones
Special Oversize NK
1270 .P8 1885 La
Décoration Arabe.
Flat Folio NK 4129
.R3 Vieilles
Faïences Turques.
Flat Folio NK 4670.7 .I7
W3 1894 XIIIth
Century Persian Lustered Wall Tiles.
Special Oversize NK 8988
.A1 K84 1952 Catalogue
of Dated Tiraz Fabrics: Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid.
Special Oversize NK 8865
.A1 A73 2001 Ipek,
the Crescent and the Rose: Imperial Ottoman Silks
and Velvets.
Flat Folio GT 1755 .T9
S73 1996 Silks
for the Sultans: Ottoman Imperial Garments from
Topkapi Palace.
Flat Folio ND 3211 .T5
1961 Turkey:
Ancient Miniatures.
Flat Folio ND 3241 .I5
1956 Iran:
Persian Miniatures.
Flat Folio ND 3399 .F5
D5 v. 1-2 The
Houghton Shahnameh.
Special Oversize Z 269
.G77 1924 Islamische
Bucheinbände.
Special Oversize NK
3636.5 .A2 B43 2009 The
Conference of the Birds: A Study of Farid ud-Din Attar’s
Poem Using Jali Diwani Calligraphy/ Farah K. Behbehani.
Special Oversize NA 2706
.A783 N43 1995 The
Topkapi Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic
Architecture.
Special NA 387 .S2 1926 L’Alhambra
de Grenade.
Flat Folio NA 1373 .S5
F74 1992 Sinan:
Architect of Süleyman the Magnificent and the Ottoman
Golden Age.
Flat Folio TR 104 .T2 R2
1987 Taj
Mahal/ Raghu Rai.
Duplication Options:
All duplication requests are subject to copyright fair use restrictions. Due to the often fragile condition of special materials, duplication requests are granted at the discretion of the librarian or staff member. Scanning and photocopying requests are processed by library staff. Readers may also take their own digital photographs, upon request.
Sketching and Note-taking:
Graphite and ordinary pencils are the only kind of writing implement allowed in Special Collections when using special materials. Sketchbooks, notebooks or other paper are allowed as well as laptops.
Other Special Resources:
Highlights of our collections, selected bookmarks for useful websites, and information about library exhibitions can also be found on our Special Collections Blog