The main entrance to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center is now open. Van Pelt Library and the Fisher Fine Arts Library are currently open to Penn Card holders, Penn affiliates, and certain visitors. See our Service Alerts for details.

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Special Announcement

Penn Libraries Names New Vice Provost

"Libraries are not just about books or buildings; they are also about people,” said Brigitte Weinsteiger, the new H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and director of the Penn Libraries.

Read our announcement
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Using the Library

Quick Start Guide

Search the Franklin Catalog

Use Franklin to find books, journal articles, databases, CDs and DVDs, and anything else in the Penn Libraries collections.

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Get Off-Campus Access

Need to access subscription materials like journals, databases, and ebooks when you’re not on campus? Check out our cheat sheet.

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Request Scans

Our library staff can scan book chapters and articles for quick delivery directly to your inbox.

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Receive Books by Mail

When you register for Books By Mail, you can request to have books sent to your off-campus address anywhere in the United States.

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Ask a Question Anytime

Explore our archive of Frequently Asked Questions. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Submit your question anytime, and we’ll respond within 24 hours.

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Book a Consultation

Book an in-person or virtual consultation with a librarian or technology consultant with expertise in your field of study, copyright, digital fabrication, or statistical and design software.

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Browse our spaces

Explore our array of flexible and innovative spaces, from collaborative or quiet study spots to classrooms designed for active learning and equipped with the latest technology.

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Reserve a room

Already know exactly which room you need? Head directly to our room reservation system.

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Explore our library locations

Like to study in the middle of the night? Need specialized databases at your fingertips? Looking for a location close to your classes? Find out how to visit all our library locations across campus—and beyond—and discover which one suits your needs best. 

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Featured Collections

The Penn Libraries' global collections encompass hundreds of languages and scripts across a broad range of subject areas, preserving the rich cultural and scholarly record from Africa, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. Read about some of our unique recent acquisitions.

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Exploring Chinese Internet Literature

To more accurately reflect the diversity of literature in China, the Penn Libraries has made a special effort to add recent internet novels that have been published in print form to our collection.

Upcoming Events

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Page in CAJS Rar Ms 700
  • Workshop
June 20, 2024

Coffee with a Codex: Geleitsbatzen ledger

On June 20, Judaica Special Collections Cataloging Librarian Louis Meiselman will bring out CAJS Rar Ms 700, Geleitsbatzen ledger, for the record of sales of travel papers for and by the Jewish community of Worms, Germany. Written in Worms, 1685-1686.

  • 12:00pm - 12:30pm
  • Online
Open to the Public
engraving of the Boston Tea Party protest
  • Conference
June 20 - 22, 2024

Archives of Revolution: A Conference About How We Make the Past

A collaboration between the John Carter Brown Library on the campus of Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies and Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts. 

  • The John Carter Brown Library at Brown University
Open to the Public