![Image of a rare book](/sites/default/files/2022-11/SC_RareTile_s.jpg)
![Image of a rare book](/sites/default/files/2022-11/SC_RareTile_s.jpg)
The Rare Book Collection dates back to the beginning of European printing in the fifteenth century. Its strengths include the history of books and printing, eighteenth-century British literature, Christianity, travel and exploration, fine printing and book arts, and the history of slavery. With over twenty-five thousand titles, the collection is an excellent source material for research, teaching, and creative projects.
Highlights of the collection include several incunables (books from the first fifty years of printing), Albrecht Dürer's book on perspective and the shaping of letters, atlases by Ptolemy and Ortelius, and Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie. First editions of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene and John Donne’s Poems, as well as the Second Folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays, printed in 1632, are held, along with William Morris’ edition of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Kelmscott Chaucer.
Among other notable works in the collection are a 1610 copy of John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Lord Kingsborough's Antiquities of Mexico, and Edward Curtis's The North American Indian. The Description de l'Égypte, an illustrated chronicle of the antiquities and natural history of Egypt produced by French scholars accompanying Napoleon’s expedition to the Middle East, is another one of the Rare Book Collection’s most important items. Also available are high-quality reproductions of more than 125 manuscripts dating from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
To learn more and explore recent acquisitions, see the LibGuide to Rare Books.
![Small room with a book shelf, desk, cabinets and chair.](/sites/default/files/2023-09/carrel.jpg)
LSU Libraries provides carrels to patrons engaged in research which requires the prolonged consultation of significant quantities of library material. All carrels have outlets and desk lamps. Faculty carrels have wall outlets, and graduate carrels have outlets in the base of the desk lamp under the shelf. 32 of the carrels are for faculty use only; the rest are assigned on a first-come-first served basis to faculty and graduate students. Undergraduate students are not eligible to hold a carrel. If no carrels reserved for the use of a faculty member are available, the faculty member will be assigned a graduate carrel and can request to be put on a waiting list for the next available faculty carrel. Carrel assignments to faculty expire at the end of the academic year, carrel assignments to graduate students at the end of each semester.
- Application for a carrel may be made at any time during the academic year at the LSU Libraries Access Services Desk, by e-mailing the Carrel Manager directly or by submitting the Study Carrel Request Form at the bottom of this window.
- Patrons to whom carrels are assigned will be notified by an e-mail sent to their myLSU account. If no carrels are available, patrons are placed on a waiting list until one becomes available or they request to be removed from the list. The carrel will be held for the patron for two weeks. If the key is not picked up within that time, the carrel will be offered to the next person on the waiting list.
- Each carrel holder will be issued a key after presenting a copy of the notification e-mail, signing that they are in receipt of a copy of the carrel regulations, and paying a $10.00 deposit at the checkout desk in Room 241. A credit will be issued to the patron's account at the Bursar's Office upon the return of the key.
- Toward the end of the carrel reservation period, patrons will be sent a renewal notice via e-mail. Keys for non-renewed carrels are due 2 weeks after the end of the reservation period. Failure to return the key on time or to respond to the renewal notification in a timely fashion will result in the loss of the carrel and the forfeiture of the key deposit.
- Carrel holders should notify the Carrel Manager as soon as they no longer need the space.
- No cooking or household appliances allowed in the carrels.
- Carrels are intended for reading and research only. They are not to be used for conference or office space.
- A carrel may be used only by the person to whom it is assigned.
- Nothing should be affixed or installed on any surface of the carrel in a way that would cause permanent damage. The use of screws, nails or permanent adhesives is therefore forbidden. Any other materials not specified in this regulation will be subject to review by Library Management.
- No additional locks may be installed.
- Do not block air conditioner vents near carrels.
- The Library cannot be held responsible for personal property left in any carrel. Thieves occasionally break into carrels and remove items.
- Do not leave any items or papers in the carrel.
Carrels must be renewed within two weeks of receiving a renewal notice! Only properly registered students whose library privileges have not expired or been revoked will be permitted to keep their carrel assignments!
Violation of any of these regulations will result in the revocation of the carrel assignment.
- Library materials cannot be charged directly to a carrel.
- Library materials charged to the carrel holder may be left in the carrel, with the understanding that, should they be stolen from the carrel, the patron, not the library, is responsible for all fines and replacement costs for the item.
- Carrels are checked biweekly for uncharged materials. Any such items will be removed from the carrel and reshelved. Library staff will notify the patron about the removal, explaining why it was done. If a carrel holder continually leaves uncharged items in the carrel, the assignment will be revoked.
Faculty
![Textbooks](/sites/default/files/2021-10/textbooks.jpg)
If a book from the main collection is not renewed or returned within 40 days after its due date, it will be considered lost, and the borrower will be billed accordingly. Reserve items are considered lost if they are not returned within 24 hours after their due date.
If any item is lost, the patron should notify the library immediately in writing or using the Lost Materials Form; overdue fines continue to be assessed until notification is received and/or until the maximum fine is reached. If a book is reported lost before its due date, no overdue fines will be assessed, and the service charge will be reduced to $25.
All library patrons, including faculty, are responsible for lost book charges. Charges for lost materials are assessed to replace the items lost. They do not constitute purchase of lost materials, which remain the property of the State of Louisiana. LSU Libraries does not accept patron-purchased replacement copies of lost materials instead of payment of the replacement fee.
Lost book charges consist of the following:
- Replacement cost for new item
- A nonrefundable service charge of $30.00
- Accrued overdue fines
Materials returned within 180 days will be credited for the cost of the book only. All other charges are non refundable.
Lost charge for a laptop is $1680. Upon return, there will be at least a $50.00 non-refundable fee which may increase depending on length of time between billing and return of laptop.
Lost charge for a digital video camcorder are $630.00. Upon return, there will be at least a $50.00 non-refundable fee which may increase depending on length of time between billing and return of the camcorder. Repeated or extremely late returns of electronic items may result in the loss of electronics checkout privileges.
No adjustment in the charges may be made for items returned more than 180 days after billing.
If an item belonging to the library is stolen from a patron, the patron should report the theft immediately to the proper authorities and notify the library as soon as possible. If the patron can provide a copy of the police report or official documentation from the police department with the file number, then overdue fines (if any) and service charges will be waived and the patron will be charged only for the replacement cost of the item. If a police report is unobtainable, then the patron will be charged a service charge of $25.00 in addition to the replacement cost. The patron is responsible for the replacement cost of the item in all circumstances.
If a stolen item is returned to the library within 180 days in good condition, then the library will issue a refund to the patron.
Undergraduate students
Faculty
Staff
![Louisiana Water Thrush](/sites/default/files/2024-02/audubon_emergency.jpg)
![Louisiana Water Thrush](/sites/default/files/2024-02/audubon_emergency.jpg)
Audubon Day is free and open to the public, but registration is required due to the event’s popularity. Each one-hour viewing of Birds of America is limited to 40 attendees. Registration signups are open for the dates/times below:
Saturday, April 27: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, April 27: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday, April 27: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Saturday, April 27: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
During each viewing, the four volumes of Birds of America will be paged through simultaneously. Volumes 1-3 contain 100 plates each, Volume 4 contains 135 plates. Additional reference materials and other bird-related books from the library’s collections will also be on display during the viewing. It is not possible to see every plate in Birds of America during the viewing – but that’s a good reason to return next year! Visitors are welcome to take photographs without flash.
In addition to the Birds of America viewings, an exhibit of the McIlhenny Natural History Book Collection will be on display and representatives from the LSU Museum of Natural Science will be on hand to answer questions. As other groups are confirmed, we will update the website.
Free parking is readily accessible in the Indian Mounds lot, directly behind Hill Memorial Library and in the Peabody lot adjacent to the library. The library's street address is 95 Fieldhouse Dr. Baton Rouge, LA.
To prevent any possible damage to the Birds of America folios during the viewings, we recommend minimizing the personal belongings you bring to the event. Bags, purses, and other bulky items will need to be placed to the side of the room during the viewing or checked in a locker prior to the viewing. Food and drink are not permitted in the McIlhenny Room.
A renowned masterpiece of natural history art, Birds of America records the rich bird and plant life Audubon saw and drew first-hand when he lived in Louisiana in the 1820s. The edition is known as the “elephant” folio because of its large size, with each of its 435 pages measuring 39 by 27 inches. Publication took eleven years, from 1827 to 1838. LSU's copy of the Birds of America was purchased with a grant from the Crown Zellerbach Foundation in 1964, and it has been shown in various venues over the years. These books are part of the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection at Hill Memorial Library, one of the most prestigious collections of its kind, with particular strengths in New World botanical and ornithological illustration.
The Birds of America double elephant folio was restored in 2008 through a generous donation by the Coypu Foundation to enable conservation of this important work. Over the course of more than a year, the work was painstakingly completed. LSU Libraries’ copy belonged to one of the original subscribers, the Duke of Northumberland (1785-1847).
Recently John James Audubon has rightly come under increased criticism for his relationship to slavery, Native Americans, as well as his environmental practices. The Audubon Society details much of this on its website. Drew Lanham’s article "What do we do about John James Audubon?" first published in Audubon Magazine in 2021, is also a good resource in this regard, as is Christoph Irmscher’s recent article, "Audubon in this day and age" in Humanities Magazine. Additionally, Special Collections has several books that address these aspects of Audubon’s life, including Irmscher and Richard King’s recent collection Audubon at Sea (2022, see especially Subhankar Banerjee’s foreword and the editors’ coda), and Christopher Ianini’s chapter “The Birds of America and the specter of Caribbean accumulation” in his book Fatal Revolutions (2012). Please contact us (225.578.6568, or special@lsu.edu) if you have any questions or would like to know more.
For even more Audubon content:
- View the Libraries' "Audubon in Louisiana" digital exhibit
- Browse our complete guide to Audubon materials at LSU
- Search the Libraries' digital collection of select Audubon prints
- Explore Audubon's connection to Louisiana and his complicated legacy in our frequently asked questions
Sign up for the Libraries newsletter to receive information about next year’s Audubon Day and other events.
LSU Libraries subscribes to licensed electronic resources, such as databases, journals, and books, in support of the educational and research needs of the LSU Baton Rouge campus community. Access and use of our electronic resources is governed by both copyright law and license agreements that control who can use these materials as well as how they can be used. Authorized Users are limited to members of the campus community (faculty, staff, and enrolled students) as well as on-site walk-in users. These materials are licensed for nonprofit educational, research, and/or scholarly purposes. Specifically, sharing your password or using the materials for commercial purposes is prohibited.
Please note that excessive downloading, whether by automated processes or even through functionality within the resource, like ScienceDirect, will result in campus access and, specifically your computer access, being blocked by the vendor, until investigated and remedied. If LSU ITS or the LSU Libraries contacts you about license violations coming from you or your computer, which may have been compromised, you must respond immediately. You will receive a warning email from the LSU Libraries concerning the event and what you must do. If you repeatedly engage in behavior that results in vendor complaints and campus shut-downs, your off-campus access to all LSU Libraries resources will be suspended.
Violation of these terms jeopardizes campus access and exposes violators to disciplinary actions. Your use of these resources indicates your awareness and compliance with licensing terms and conditions.
Please note, you may not:
- permit anyone other than another Authorized User to use the licensed materials but not through your access or your PAWS ID;
- download or print substantial amounts of the materials or more than a reasonable portion of an item (access to e-resources has been shut off for violations of 100-500 articles downloaded in one session);
- modify or create a derivative work of licensed content or remove, obscure or modify any copyright or other notices;
- use the licensed materials for commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, the sale of the licensed materials;
- upload any licensed materials to an open website, including social networking sites;
- engage in systematic downloading, distributing, or retaining substantial portions of the licensed materials;
- use software such as scripts, agents, robots, or spiders to retrieve information;
- engage in text mining without prior permission.
Faculty, students, and staff with questions about these terms of use for the licensed electronic resources may contact the LSU Libraries Resource Management & Assessment Librarian, Gabriella Lindsay at glinds4@lsu.edu.
Undergraduate students
Faculty
Staff
![People troubleshooting on a computer](/sites/default/files/2023-05/help169_s.jpg)
![People troubleshooting on a computer](/sites/default/files/2023-05/help169_s.jpg)