Accessing the Kislak Center Collections
The Kislak Center's Charles K. MacDonald Reading Room is open by appointment to all researchers. Appointments are available on weekdays between the hours of 10am-4pm and must be made 24 hours in advance by emailing kislak@pobox.upenn.edu.
When entering the Library, Penn-affiliated visitors must show a Green Penn Open Pass. Visitors from outside the Penn community must complete a COVID-19 screening through PennOpen Campus (learn how it works). The University requests that visitors not come physically to campus if they feel ill, have been exposed to a case of COVID-19, or if they are not up-to-date with their vaccinations.
To support remote access to our collections, we offer increased reprographic services. Users may request on-demand digitization of special collections material for up to 100 pages for free, depending on the condition of the material and any copyright restrictions. Requests can be submitted via the Special Collections Research Account form. For more information, please contact: kislak@pobox.upenn.edu.
Remote Learning Support
We have developed a variety of pedagogical and research options and resources, available both to teachers and students at Penn and to the the wider academic community. These include:
- Remote instructional sessions and research consultations
- Online teaching resources adapted to specific collections and topics
- Digitization of collection materials
These resources are outlined in more detail below.
We are happy to discuss how the wide variety of primary resources in the Kislak Center can be made available for courses at Penn and elsewhere. We encourage instructors and students to contact us for assistance and to pose any questions about the pedagogical options that are available.
Remote instructional sessions and research consultations
Kislak Center staff are available by appointment to present collections using remote imaging tools such as a document camera. We can, for example, show materials to students during class sessions or review items with researchers and students who have no other way of viewing material essential to their work. Please contact us to discuss arranging remote instruction or consultation sessions.
Online resources for teaching and research
A growing number of resources in the Kislak Center have been digitized and are available through a variety of platforms. Also available are online exhibitions, videos, pedagogical materials, and digital humanities platforms. This list is intended to provide a brief overview:
- The Library manages multiple digital repositories, accessible to all, which include digitized collections from the Kislak Center and other collections: Colenda | Penn in Hand | Print at Penn | OPenn
- Digital Projects, including special collections, image collections, and other public domain materials
- The Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) has developed a series of resources for teaching and research, including: repositories of Digital Primary Sources and Manuscript Metadata; tools for manuscript research; resources for studying and understanding manuscripts; and online exhibits.
- Video content, including: lectures and programs on the Kislak Center youtube channel | Using Penn's Archival Collections; Orientation videos [via Mediaspace]
- Online exhibits: curated presentations of special collections
- Pedagogy and lesson plans: English Renaissance in Contest | The Dreyfus Affair
- Digital scholarship and digital humanities: Judaica DH | Early novels
Digitization of collection materials (Reprographics)
The Kislak Center and the Library at the Katz Center provide digital scanning services, subject to curatorial review and any appropriate copyright or physical restrictions. At present, we are prioritizing requests for instruction-related needs. We are happy to consult with you about how we can facilitate research and teaching through digitization.
More information about Reprographic Services.
In many cases, scanned collection items are made available publicly through the library's new digital repository, Colenda.