Special Collections and University Archives

Stanford's rarest library materials do not sit on open shelves. Medieval leaves, early printed books, writers' drafts, photographers' prints and more than a century of the university's own records are held by the Department of Special Collections and University Archives. They are kept in closed stacks and many are stored off campus. Yet anyone with a genuine research question can see them, as long as they plan ahead.

This guide explains how outside visitors get access, how to book time in the Field Reading Room and which rules trip up first-timers. It goes deeper than our Green Library guide, which covers general day passes and exhibits.

What the department holds

Stanford describes the department as having three collecting divisions plus a public services team and an exhibitions program.

• Manuscripts. Personal papers of scientists, artists, activists and writers, along with photographs, manuscript drafts and audiovisual material.
• Rare Books. Early printing, fine press work and books valued as objects. The department's guide highlights incunabula, the books printed before 1501.
• University Archives. The official records of Stanford itself, from the founding years to recent decades.

The department also lists a photography collection and the California Historical Society Collection at Stanford among its holdings. Examples featured in its research guide show the range: Armand Bacou's letters to his wife and daughter from 1915 to 1918, a 1969 Black Student Union fashion show photograph, the papers of the painter Bernice Bing, Carleton E. Watkins photographs of the Pacific coast, a Nativity miniature from about 1410, Chopin sheet music and Israeli Yiddish theater posters.

Green Library also houses the Silicon Valley Archives, which documents the region's companies and people. Its materials are requested through the same system. For the tech story itself, our Silicon Valley history page is a good primer before you dig into the boxes.

The University Archives

For local history, the University Archives is the most useful division. It keeps the records that explain how the campus took shape: administrative files, publications, photographs and papers tied to the people who ran the university. Stanford Libraries maintains research guides on the histories of Black students, the Asian and Asian American community, the Chicana, Latina and Latinx community and the LGBTQIA+ community at Stanford, each pointing to relevant collections.

Anyone researching Stanford's past should pair the archives with the oral histories recorded by the Stanford Historical Society, which has interviewed faculty, staff and alumni since 1978. The society opened the archives to its members for a curated visit in March 2026, a sign of how closely the two work together. Our history of Stanford gives the big picture.

How outside visitors get access

Stanford's page on access to rare and distinctive materials sets out the process. In short:

1. Find your materials. Search SearchWorks, the library catalog, or Archival Collections at Stanford at archives.stanford.edu for finding aids. The Online Archive of California also links to Stanford's request form.
2. Create an account. New visitors set up an account in the request system.
3. Request items and book an appointment. Every reading room visit needs an appointment, chosen in the request form. Requests are capped and the limit depends on the location.
4. Allow time. Many items are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. Some audio and video must be digitized before you can use it, which adds to the wait. Staff will tell you if that applies.
5. Register at the door. Without a Stanford ID, show a government-issued photo ID and register at the library entrance before heading to the reading room.

Stanford asks visitors from outside the university to email specialcollections@stanford.edu before making travel plans and to describe what they want to see. Staff can often suggest related collections you have not found in the catalog. Remember that the general visitor day pass is limited to seven days a year, so a long project may call for an access card, as described on our Green Library page.

Field Reading Room rules

The Field Reading Room is on the second floor of Green Library. Its published policies are strict but sensible. Read them before you arrive so you are not caught at the desk.

What you can bring to the table

• Single sheets of paper and pencils.
• Laptops.
• Cell phones, used only for photography.
• Personal cameras, after you sign a digital release form and get a short briefing at the desk.

What goes in a locker

Coats, backpacks, three-ring binders, spiral notebooks, laptop cases and legal pads all go in lockers. Food and drink are not allowed anywhere in the room.

Handling materials

• Wash your hands with soap and water first. Lotions are not allowed. Staff supply nitrile gloves when an item calls for them.
• Use up to five books at a time, each on a foam cradle with weights.
• For archives, take one box and one folder from that box at a time and keep everything in its original order.
• Keep manuscripts and archival papers flat on the table.
• No flash, tripods, extension cords or personal copiers and scanners. Do not stand on chairs for overhead shots.

Copies and permission to publish

Photographing with your own camera is free for research. If you need scans, only Special Collections staff make them and charges may apply. Staff can decline fragile items and will not copy entire books or boxes without authorization.

Images you take are for private research. Publishing or broadcasting any item, in whole or in part, needs written permission from the department. Send requests by email with the item title, call number and page, or for manuscripts the collection name, call number and box and folder numbers. For copyrighted printed works the department can only point you to the publisher. A separate application process covers restricted health information.

Seeing the collections without an appointment

Not everyone needs the reading room. The department runs an exhibitions program and many past shows live online as Spotlight exhibits at exhibits.stanford.edu, with high-resolution images and curator notes. In person, Stanford Libraries mounts exhibitions in the Bing Wing of Green Library that often draw on Special Collections. In fall 2026 the main Bing Wing show is Text Machines, built around an 1883 book woven on a Jacquard loom. It runs through December 22, 2026.

For a casual visitor, that exhibit plus the map center upstairs is the best way to see rare material in an afternoon. Serious researchers should start with an email to the department a few weeks before a trip.

Planning a research trip

Green Library is a short walk north of the Main Quad. Weekday visitors can ride the free Marguerite shuttle from the Palo Alto Caltrain station, while drivers pay for visitor parking by zone through ParkMobile. Our Stanford parking and transit guide covers both. Researchers staying several days often book near campus. Our guide to staying near Stanford lists hotels within an easy ride of the library.

Frequently asked questions