Libraries + Collections

Near the heart of campus, McCabe Library houses the Humanities and Social Sciences collections in addition to Swarthmore's Special Collections, which include: the College Archives, Friends Historical Library, the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, and the Rare Book Room.

Underhill Music & Dance Library

Nestled inside the Lang Music Building, Underhill houses the extensive collection of Music and Dance materials, in addition to being home to some of the loveliest views of the Crum Woods on campus.

Black Cultural Center Library

Located inside the Black Cultural Center, the BCC Library collection encompasses works on African American experience and the American civil rights movement.

Language Center

Located in Kohlberg Hall, the Language Center maintains a large collection of films from all areas of study in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Stop in to browse, or find them on Tripod.

Cornell Science Library

Located within the Science Center, Cornell supports the research of both faculty and students in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics, and Physics & Astronomy.

Beit Midrash

In Hebrew, "Beit" means house and "Midrash" comes from the word root that means to seek, to search out, to dig for meaning. A Beit Midrash is a House of Study. Swarthmore's Beit Midrash is a joint project of the Libraries and the Department of Religion and offers unique access to the rich tradition of Jewish textual interpretation within the liberal arts environment.

Gender & Sexuality Center

The Gender & Sexuality Center holds a collection of books selected by students and librarians.​​​​​

 

Friends Historical Library

Friends Historical Library was established in 1871 to collect, preserve, and make available archival, manuscript, printed, and visual records concerning the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) from their origins in the mid-seventeenth century to the present. FHL is an outstanding research facility for the study of Quaker history and the collection reflects the Quaker origins of Swarthmore College.

Peace Collection

The Peace Collection was established when Jane Addams donated books, papers, and her Nobel Peace Prize, to Swarthmore College. The collection has grown to become one of the most extensive research libraries and archive collections in the country that focuses solely on movements for peace.