Special Collections

About Our Collections

Otis College Library's Special Collections comprises rare, fragile, and otherwise unique items. This includes rare books, artists' books, institutional archives, and zines. Our Special Collections exist to advance the library's mission of providing a learning environment that inspires creativity.

To better conserve these items, they are non-circulating (i.e., cannot be borrowed from the library), housed in closed stacks (i.e., not browsable), and viewable by appointment (see below for details). If you cannot visit or want to preview some of our collections, you can view a selection of digitized items through OtisDID (sometimes requires Otis SSO credentials).

What We Have:

Archives

• Documents and records pertaining to Otis' institutional history
• The Ben Maltz Gallery's Exhibition Archive
• Images from the Woman's Building Archive, which is now housed at the Getty
• View select images through OtisDID

Rare Books

• Approximately 1,100 items, all cataloged
• Includes historical items as well as more recent publications that are fragile, innovatively structured, or rare
• Our most popular item is our original edition of Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color (Yale UP, 1963)

Artists' Books

• Over 2,000 items, including ~250 books from the Otis Laboratory Press
• Browse our catalog
• View select images through OtisDID

Zines

• Over 250 items, including some student work

Research Appointments

To view item(s) from Otis' Special Collections, schedule an appointment through Bookings. You may also contact Morgan Yanni (myanni@otis.edu), our Reference and Special Collections Librarian.

Please give at least one week's notice before your desired viewing time so we can adequately prepare. Before your appointment, review our Special Collections Viewing Guidelines. While Otis is a closed campus, we welcome outside visitors!

General Rules:

• Some items cannot be handled. You can view them, but please do not touch. The librarian will set them up for you.
• Wash your hands before viewing and/or handling materials. (Why: This reduces the amount of oils and dirt in contact with the materials that contribute to their disintegration.)
• When taking handwritten notes, use a graphite pencil (we have them available). Do not use any pens or ink around the materials. (Why: If a mark is accidentally made, pencil can be removed more easily than ink.)
• Photographs without flash are permitted. Please do not publish or otherwise post photos without the library's permission and proper credit.
• No food or drink. Closed water is okay, but it should be kept away from the item(s). (Why: To avoid spills and pests.)
• Review all of our rules here: Special Collections Viewing Guidelines.

Class Workshops

We have a wonderful breadth of items in our Special Collections that can be integrated into classes being taught at Otis. Professors who are interested in scheduling a Librarian-led workshop focused on some of these materials can do so through our Bookings page. Please schedule these sessions at least one week before the requested timeslot.

Before your session, review our Special Collections Viewing Guidelines and share this document with your students.