Collections
Cultivated to Foster Marian Scholarship and Sound Marian Devotion
The Marian Library’s holdings include circulating books, periodicals, rare books and incunabula, artwork and archival materials. The collections document the history, spirituality and ecclesial foundations of Marian studies. As devotions to Mary are present in cultural traditions around the world, the collection is international in scope and includes materials in over 150 languages.
-
112,200
books related to the Virgin Mary
-
10,000
holy cards
-
3,600
nativity sets
-
9,000
stamps of Mary
-
30,000
Marian postcards
-
700
pieces of sheet music
Accessing the Collections
- To search for books, use the Roesch Library catalog. By means of “Advanced Search” you can limit results to Marian Library holdings. It is also possible to sort by date and language.
- To search archival collections, use archivescatalog.udayton.edu where you can also limit your search to Marian Library holdings. Keep in mind that archival collections are rarely cataloged at the item level, so (for example) we do not have a description of every holy card in the collection.
- The Marian Library’s art collection is not currently searchable by means of a public-facing catalog, but some examples are available to browse ecommons.udayton.edu/imri_art and ecommons.udayton.edu/imri_creches.
- A selection of digitized images of materials from across the Marian Library collections (such as photographs and stamps) are available in eCommons. You can also see some collection materials by browsing Marian Library social media accounts, in particular Instagram and Pinterest (@MarianLibraryUD on both platforms).
- In all Marian Library collection areas, there are some items that are not fully searchable due to cataloging backlog. If you have searched the above pages and have additional questions about holdings or subject coverage, please email marianlibrary@udayton.edu and library personnel will correspond with you about your project.
Collections Overview
Broaden your knowledge of Marian Library holdings by learning about some of our largest and/or most popular collection areas.
The library maintains a comprehensive collection of Marian books, video and audio recordings. Topics include, for example, Marian doctrines; theological writings, sermons, and meditations on Mary; Marian prayers and devotions; Marian apparitions and shrines; literary accounts of the life of Mary; artistic representations of Mary; and historical surveys of Marian theology. Search the catalog for all circulating materials.
Search the Catalog
The rare book collection includes over 6,200 cataloged volumes published between 1473 and 1800. The collection primarily documents cultural expressions of Marian doctrine and devotion. It includes significant holdings of books of hours (illuminated devotionals from the 15th century), incunabula (books printed before 1500), devotional meditations and apologetic works from the 17th and 18th century and works printed in Mexico during the 16th and 17th century. It also includes first, limited, or specially bound editions of works published after 1800. The Rare Book collection is named in honor of Brother William Fackovec, S.M., librarian in the Marian Library from 1960 to 2010. Many of the books in the collection were acquired by him during visits to rare book dealers in Europe.
Archives and special research collections document a broad range of Marian topics including apparitions, shrines, titles, artistic representations of Mary, Marian spirituality and Mary in Catholic material culture. Collections contain a variety of formats including visual resources, audiovisual materials, and artifacts. Archival collections include personal papers, manuscripts, and records that document the history, activities, research interests, and devotional practices of individuals, groups, and organizations with a significant Marian dimension.
The Marian Library's digital special collections provide access to rich resources of digitized archival photographs, holy cards, stamps, ephemera, and other unique Marian materials.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ has been an intriguing subject for artists for centuries. The Marian Library acquires, preserves and exhibits art depicting the person of Mary and artifacts documenting Marian spirituality and devotion. The Art and Artifacts Collection includes over 15,000 works including paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, ephemera and artifacts.
View digitized selections from the statue collection on eCommons
Please note: Loans of art are currently suspended. This includes loans to campus spaces. During this time, the Marian Library Art and Artifacts Collection is undergoing an assessment to improve descriptions and streamline loan processes for the future.
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 US Catholic Special Collection, and the Marian Library are included.