Plan your visit + start your research: Special Collections and Rare Books

Researcher touching a page of a medieval manuscript from 1269
Special Collections and Rare Books welcomes students, scholars, and members of the general public to visit our reading room. Researchers are encouraged to review the resources below before visiting SCRB.

Finding material at SCRB

Before coming to visit us, it's often helpful to figure out what it is you want to see when you get here.

Check out our How-To Guide to search for archival materials, rare books, and digitized collections.

Research guides

Need help getting started with your research? Check out SCRB's Research Guides that cover a range of topics that can be found in our collections, from activism, small press and publishing, immigration, and more!

Using materials at SCRB

Coming to visit in person? Find out what you can expect from us before you get here!

Learn about our reading room policies, access our research forms, and learn how to Use Special Collections and Rare Books.

Research grants and opportunities

SCRB supports several funding opportunities for visiting researchers:

Gene Bridwell Graduate Scholarship in Special Collections Annual Award
Award for graduate students who will use SCRB's Contemporary Literature Collection as part of their research.

Eric Swanick Special Collections Travel and Research Grant
Grant to help defray costs for researchers travelling to work with material from SCRB.

Charles Olson Award in English
Award for individuals whose research interests and publication plans involve study of the Charles Olson collection at SCRB.

Contemporary Literature Graduate Research Award
Award for master's or doctoral students pursuing research in the Contemporary Literature Collection.

Special Collections Print Culture Research Award
Award for undergraduate or graduate students in the Department of English who are conducting research for an essay, project or thesis that makes use of the pre-1950s physical materials in SCRB.

MA Directed Study term in Special Collections
Directed Study term for students in the MA Print Culture stream.

 

Have other questions? 

If you need help, please contact our Special Collections Assistants at 778.782.5674 or scrb@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.