Marian Library Collections Librarian
Marian Library Books
The Marian Library’s collections of published materials document Marian theology and devotion across diverse genres and time periods, from recent scholarly works to medieval manuscripts. The collection's scope is international and includes materials in more than 100 languages. Some areas of the collection have different borrowing and description practices, as noted below.
Most circulating and rare books can be found by using Advanced Search in the online catalog, entering your terms, selecting "Marian Library" in the Location field, and refining by date and/or language, as needed.
Collections
The Marian Library stacks hold the main collection of Marian Library books, with holdings from the nineteenth century to the present day. The bulk of the Marian Library's 100,000+ volumes are found here. The collection's scope includes art books, Catholic theology, lay devotion, liturgy, literature, and other books related to Mary.
The Bro. William Fackovec, S.M. Rare Book Collection holds over 6,200 books and manuscripts, with the earliest printed book published in 1473. Collection strengths include books of hours, theology and devotion to Mary, Reformation pamphlets and polemics, and Catholic printing in Mexico.
While the bulk of the collection was produced between 1500-1800, there are representatives of medieval manuscripts, incunabula (books printed before 1500) as well as limited editions and artist's books from the 20th and 21st century. The primary languages of the collection are Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, and English.
The Clugnet Collection consists of approximately 6,500 rare books, manuscripts, periodicals, pamphlets, and ephemera on Marian shrines in France and throughout the world, from the private collection of French bibliographer Léon Clugnet (1848-1920). The materials in this collection were published between the mid-16th century and 1918, with the bulk dating from 1800-1920.
The Marian Library maintains a circulating collection of children’s books in various languages. Some are in unusual formats such as coloring books, pop-up books, or books with puzzle pieces. They include works about the life of Mary, the rosary, Marian apparitions, and catechetical works. The collection has been used for research in Catholic education and children's literature.
The Marian Library's pamphlet collection contains over 10,000 pamphlets, programs, and other leaflets on Marian devotions, shrines, and related topics printed after 1800, the majority in the 20th century. Researchers may also find the Marian print ephemera collection and other religious ephemera collections in the archives catalog of interest.
Selected novena pamphlets have been digitized in the eCommons Marian Library Novena Collection.
The Marian Library contains periodicals in numerous languages focused on Marian theology, apparitions, shrines, and religious movements throughout the world, as well as academic journals supporting Marian studies in religion, art, and related topics. While the library maintains subscriptions to some titles, the majority are no longer published and serve as documentation of theological and popular religious perspectives on Mary, from the Vatican to local shrines.
Marian Library publications past and present can be accessed online through the University of Dayton's institutional repository, eCommons. The Marianist and other University of Dayton imprints are available in print.
A related title, Marian Studies, the proceedings of the Mariological Society of America's annual meeting, can also be found on eCommons.
Accessing Books and Periodicals
Once you've found an item, how do you access it?
Items with a CHECK SHELVES status are available to borrow. Request them from the seventh floor welcome desk during the Marian Library's open hours, and staff will page them for you from the closed stacks.
Library use only status indicates that an item is available to be used in the library (typically the seventh floor reading room) but cannot be borrowed and taken out of the building. Materials in the Marian Library's rare books, pamphlets, periodicals, and Clugnet Collection are library use only due to their age, rarity, and/or condition. Archives, art, and other special collections are also limited to in-library use.
Appointments for these items are highly encouraged, and can be made using Book a Librarian or by emailing marianlibrary@udayton.edu. A librarian may meet with you to provide handling guidance for archival materials and rare books.
