Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries
Our Mission
The mission of the Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries is to support the work and continuous evolution of the Libraries. The Friends help to provide contemporary facilities for learning and scholarship; underwrite opportunities for students, faculty, and the public to engage with Bryn Mawr’s extraordinary collections; support the development and stewardship of those collections; and enable new forms of scholarship, exhibition, publication, and conversation centered on the collections.
What Your Contribution Supports
Support the Friends’ continuing contributions to keeping Bryn Mawr among the very best college libraries in the country. In addition to sponsoring internships, exhibitions, and lectures, the Friends undertake special projects as needs arise. Recently Friends have helped to support such projects as the acquisition and cataloguing of the unique Ellery Yale Wood collection of historical children’s books, renovation of the Coombe Special Collections Suite and creation of a digital media and collaboration lab in Carpenter Library, and conservation of numerous books and artifacts.
Student Engagement with Curators and Specialists
Students have the opportunity to learn directly from experienced curators and subject-matter specialists, gaining valuable insights into professional practices, historical context, and the behind-the-scenes work that shapes collections, exhibitions, and research.
Hands-on Learning with Collection Artifacts
The College's collections are used extensively in classes and for individual research projects.
Student & Faculty-Curated Exhibitions
Exhibitions of the College's art and cultural collections are curated as class projects or individual student initiatives.
Prize-winning Rhys Carpenter Library
Carpenter Library's collections support the College's programs in archaeology, classics, cities, and the history of art.
Digital Media and Collaboration Lab
Lab in Carpenter Library for students and faculty working on digital scholarship projects.
Exploring Artworks
More than 50,000 artworks, from Greek antiquities to contemporary prints.
Working with Original Documents
More than 60,000 rare books and millions of manuscript pages, from illuminated manuscripts to student letters and diaries.
Collections Learning Lab
The College's principal exhibition space on the 1st floor of Canaday Library.
Student Internships
The Bryn Mawr College Libraries offer students valuable opportunities for on-campus employment and internships that provide hands-on experience in research, curation, and academic support services.
Benefits of Your Friendship
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Learn about the treasures in Bryn Mawr’s Special Collections through virtual access to exhibitions, catalogues, and invitations to lectures, openings, and other events.
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Keep up with the ever-changing world of online resources used by students and faculty to advance and support their research.
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Find out about Bryn Mawr’s unique approach to digital scholarship and information literacy.
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Meet the Friends of the Libraries interns whose work cataloguing, preserving, digitizing, and analyzing items in the Special Collections helps staff and faculty make use of those collections in teaching and research.
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Hear from staff about programs and projects that preserve and activate the collections and about ways the archives are revealing new perspectives on College histories.
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Learn about the role of the Libraries’ resources in the classroom and in individual and collaborative research projects.
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Keep up with the latest scholarship of the Bryn Mawr faculty through the Libraries’ open access repository.
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Read the Libraries' newsletter Mirabile Dictu.
Friends of the Libraries Membership Levels
Student/Recent Alum - $15
Contributor - $50
Supporter - $125
Sustainer - $250
Sponsor - $1,000
Patron - $2,500
Make a Gift Today!
Use the giving levels above to determine how you'd like to support the BMC Libraries. When you're ready to become a friend, use the giving link below to designate your gift to the Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries using the menu under Gift/Pledge Information.