Primary contact
3459 McTavish Street
Montreal, Quebec
CA H3A 0C9
Rare Books and Special Collections
The McGill Library began collecting rare materials in the 1850s, and through gift and purchase the holdings now constitute rich and highly diverse research collections.
More information on special collections can be found here https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/rarebooks/special-collections
Some materials from the Rare Books and Special Collections have been digitized. Virtual exhibitions, specialized search engines and digital collections of bookplates, maps, prints and other visual materials are available on the Digital Collections web page. https://www.mcgill.ca/library/find/digitization/
Rare Books and Special Collections is open to all researchers. Visitors are required to register and agree to the Reading Room policies: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/rarebooks/reading-room
Staff at the desk can suggest avenues for accessing the collections, assist you with your reference questions, help you find relevant gateways to copies available in digital format, and arrange for specialized research assistance.
For information on personal photography, digitization services and permissions, please see here: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/rarebooks/reproduction