Special Collections consists of rare books and manuscripts on many subjects that have been acquired over the years through donations and purchases. The diversity of its holdings reflects the Jesuit heritage of Xavier University and the broad research interests of its faculty and students. The majority of Special Collections’ holdings are in Latin and English. French, Spanish, German, Greek, Italian, and other languages are also represented. Materials date from the 13th century forward. Special Collections contains a surviving portion of the original St. Xavier College library, incunabula (books printed before 1501 CE), and works related to the Society of Jesus.
The majority of Special Collections are described in the library's catalog Xplore. An inventory is available upon request for uncatalogued materials.
When searching Xplore, the library catalog, limit by location to search within Special Collections' holdings only.
These external resources can help you locate titles, authors, or copies of works that you can search for in Xavier's collections. Xavier's holdings are often reflected in these union lists. Some of these resources also provide links to digitized copies of books or microfilms held in other institutions.