Collections : University of Dayton, Ohio

Collections

Cultivated to Foster Marian Scholarship and Devotion

The Marian Library’s holdings include circulating and rare books, along with periodicals, artwork and archival materials. The collections document the history, spirituality and foundations of Marian studies. The collections are international in scope and include materials in over 150 languages.

Featured Collections

Mirror of Hope

stained-glass artwork in front of a wall-sized window

Juggler of Notre Dame

young boy looking at a Nativity in a glass vitrine

Crèche Collection

Student and archivist look at an open portfolio of magazine covers

U.S. Catholic Special Collection

Photo dated 1965 is of a flower garden with a statue of Mary in the middle, next to the garden is two ladies and a priest.

Mary Gardens Collections

Overview and Access

Broaden your knowledge of Marian Library holdings by learning about some of our largest and/or most popular collection areas and which tools to use for access.

Books and Media

The Marian Library maintains an extensive collection of books, videos and audio recordings on Mary. Subjects include:

Theological studies
Prayers and devotions
Shrines
Apparitions
Representations of Mary in literature and the arts
Various topics across diverse times, places, languages and faith traditions.

Start Your Search

Rare Books

The rare-book collection includes over 11,400 cataloged volumes dating back to the 1400s. The collection primarily documents cultural expressions of Marian doctrine and devotion, including:

Medieval manuscripts
Incunabula (books printed before 1500)
Works printed in Mexico in the 17th and 18th centuries
Books and pamphlets on Marian shrines and pilgrimage sites collected by Leon Clugnet.

The rare book collection is named in honor of Brother William Fackovec, S.M., a librarian in the Marian Library from 1960 to 2010. Fackovec acquired many of the books in the collection during visits to rare-book dealers in Europe.

Access to this collection is by appointment.

Schedule an Appointment

Start Your Search

Archival Collections

Archival collections document a broad range of Marian topics including:

Apparitions
Shrines
Titles of Mary
Artistic representations of Mary
Mary in Catholic material culture

Materials are in a variety of formats including manuscripts, audiovisual materials and artifacts.

Locate Finding Aids

View Archived Websites

Schedule an Appointment

Art and Artifacts Collection

The Marian Library acquires, preserves and exhibits art depicting Mary and artifacts documenting Marian spirituality and devotion. The Art and Artifacts Collection includes over 15,000 works including paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture and artifacts.

This collection is not currently publicly searchable. However, selections of art from Marian Library collections are available on eCommons.

View Art in eCommons

Schedule an Appointment

Digital Collections

The Marian Library's digital special collections provide access to digitized rare books, archival photographs, holy cards, stamps, ephemera and other unique Marian materials.

Selection of digitized materials from the collections are available in eCommons.

View Digital Collections in eCommons

Helpful Tools

Broaden the scope of our collections by using these online tools.

eCommons, a service of University of Dayton Libraries, is a space for content produced by our diverse campus community. It is a permanent multimedia archive of UD's continuous pursuit of transformative education and world-changing research. It is home to many of the Marian Library's digital collections.

ArchivesSpace is a content management system that allows users to access finding aids and inventories for archives and special collections at the University of Dayton. Collections from the University Archives and Special Collections, the U.S. Catholic Special Collection and the Marian Library are included.

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Using Library Materials

Exhibits