Catholic University of America’s Special Collections is home to wide and diverse cultural and historical materials, including devotional museum objects, meeting minutes of the American bishops, correspondence between notables such as George Higgins and Richard Neuhaus, rare renaissance books, and, among all of this, the Young Catholic Messenger, the premier publication, 1885-1970, of Catholic publisher, Read More

April 23rd is World Book and Copyright Day. Created by the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, World Book and Copyright Day celebrates the written word, reading, and the publication process. World Book and Copyright Day honors the important role books have played in global history and everyday life. The holiday also Read More

Over the past year, Special Collections staff has continued addressing conservation challenges that arise within the Catholic University’s Rare Books collection. You may see our past blogs on the topic in “Part I”, “Part II”, and “Part III”. As in years past, we have continued working alongside Quarto Conservation and have another surprising sampling of Read More

Due to an active threat in the area, and an abundance of caution, the University Libraries will be closed this evening, April 4, 2024.  In addition,  all classes, evening events, and sport practices on campus are also canceled.  

The Bible is the most-read document in the world and there are many resources dedicated to its study. How is the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception different from the rest? The online version of this title, originally published in print in 2009, includes approximately 1,500 new articles each year and updates, as necessary, older Read More

It is often hard to forget your first encounter with a truly antique printed book, looking impressive with its wooden boards and brass clasps, or a medieval manuscript that breathes even more ancient history. Most of us experience this deep feeling of almost reverent awe at looking at or touching it with one’s bare hands Read More

Open Education Week (March 4-8) is “an annual celebration and opportunity for those working in Open Education to actively share their achievements and learn about what others are achieving worldwide.” Open Education is a part of the larger open access or open source movement whose goal is to create more access to and collaboration with Read More