Exhibit: A Rare Book Room of One’s Own
Exhibits
Highlights from the Mortimer Rare Book Collection
Published September 15, 2026
Have you ever wondered why Smith has a rare book collection? What purpose does it serve at a historic women's college, and why do we continue to collect when so many books are available on the internet? Curator of Rare Books Erin McGuirl seeks to answer these questions in the ongoing exhibit on the third floor of Neilson Library.
Exhibit: A Rare Book Room of One’s Own
Neilson Library, 3rd floor
On view through December 11, 2026
When Smith's Rare Book Room was founded in 1937, it was one of the few places that women could freely access the texts they studied in classes in their original forms. Since then, the College's rare book collection has grown in size and reputation thanks to its ambitious curators and alum donors, and today it is a remarkable resource for the study of women and their books.
“This exhibit gave me an opportunity to tell the story of the MRBC. Smith’s rare books are so much more than a lot of old volumes – the collection was and still is assembled by and for Smith women.
The MRBC reminds us that women read and create when they claim the freedom to encounter their passions and interests and the freedom to express themselves. Books are private spaces where we rest, recharge, and imagine. It has been so much fun to show people the objects that tell me that.”
Visit the exhibit to get to know the Mortimer Rare Book Collection–named in honor of Smith alum and former Curator Ruth Mortimer in 1993–and how it serves the Smith community today.
View Selections from the Exhibit
Contact
Erin McGuirl, Curator of Rare Books
emcguirl@smith.edu