Special Collections provides standard reference services for scholars, researchers, and family historians who contact the office via telephone, email, or postal service, or who visit in person. Users are encouraged to contact Special Collections prior to research visits. Special Collections complies with the access guidelines of the Society of American Archivists and users are required to follow standard access procedures and complete standard access forms during research visits. The Henry Luce III Library provides comfortable, modern facilities in which to work. For directions to the Seminary and a list of hotels and other accommodations, see the Travel and Accommodations section below.

Reference Services

Reference service is available during hours of operation. Scholars who require consultation related to research in one of our collections are invited to submit their inquiries to the appropriate staff subject specialist prior to their visit:

• General information, rare books, personal papers and manuscripts, Seminary archives, Korean Presbyterian Collection, dissertations, and photographs – Special Collections

• Karl Barth and Abraham Kuyper Collections – Clifford Anderson

Procedures and Forms

To gain access to Special Collections, researchers must present a valid photo I.D. (Student I.D., passport, U.S. driver's license, etc.) and register upon arrival. Most rare books and manuscript materials are paged to the William H. Scheide Reading Room. Patrons should allow up to 20 minutes for items to be paged by staff.

Public Facilities

Henry Luce III Library: Special Collections is located in the Luce Library, a four-story facility dedicated in 1994 and joined to Speer Library. Public spaces of the Luce facility include the following:

Luce Exhibition Room: The Exhibition Room features displays of significant materials. Past exhibitions included the Dead Sea Scrolls, the 16th century printed works of John Calvin, and Syriac Manuscripts. The Exhibition Room is open during the initial weeks of new exhibits and thereafter by appointment.

Armstrong Assembly Room: The Armstrong Assembly Room is used for lectures, conferences, and special events.

Public Reading Rooms: The Luce Library contains three public reading rooms: the main Scheide Reading Room is located on the second floor of the facility (# 250) and contains the American Presbyterianism Collection; the Karl Barth Collection Reading Room is located on the third floor in Luce # 350 and contains works by and about Swiss theologian Karl Barth; the Abraham Kuyper Reading Room is located on the third floor in Luce # 368 and contains works by and about Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper and about Dutch Reformed Protestantism; and the Korean Presbyterian Collection, which will soon be located in another reading room in Luce, contains books and papers related to 19th and early 20th century Presbyterianism in Korea. The main Scheide Reading Room is staffed Monday through Friday; the other reading rooms are open by appointment only.

Study Carrels and Lockers: Special Collections maintains private study carrels which may be reserved by visiting scholars. Materials from Special Collections may not be used in the carrels, but researchers are welcome to use these private spaces for word processing and for reading materials from the general library collection. Lockers are available for Special Collections patrons who are required to deposit all bags and personal belongings therein prior to entering the Scheide Reading Room or any of the other Luce reading rooms. 

Princeton Seminary and Area Facilities

Meals: The John A. Mackay Campus Center houses the campus dining facilities and is open to the public.

Miller Chapel: Worship services are held daily from 10 to 10:30 a.m. during the academic year and are open to the public.

Theological Book Agency( TBA ): The campus bookstore is open daily from 10 to 4 p.m. 

Travel and Accommodations

For directions to Princeton Theological Seminary and maps of the campus, click here .

For local accommodations see the Princeton Online Lodging Guide . A selected list of Princeton-area accommodations appears below.

Bed & Breakfast
• Bed & Breakfast of Princeton, P.O. Box 571, Princeton, NJ 08542, 609-924-3189, fax 609-921-6271
• Riverside House B&B, 609-924-7868

Town of Princeton
• Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, 609-921-7500, 800-862-7728
• Peacock Inn, 20 Bayard Lane, 609-924-1707

Nearby Hotels
• Courtyard by Marriot, U.S. Route 1 and Mapleton Road (2 miles). 609-716-9100, 800-321-2211
• Extended StayAmerica, 3450 Brunswick Pike, Princeton, (5 miles). 609-919-9000
• McIntosh Motor Inn, 3270 U.S. Route 1, Lawrenceville (6 miles). 609-896-3700, 800-444-2775
• Novotel Hotel, 609-520-1200
• Red Roof Inn, U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction (6 miles). 732-821-8800, 800-843-7663

Nearby Suite Hotels
• AmeriSuites , 3565 U.S. Route 1, Princeton (3 miles). 609-720-0200, 800-833-1516
• Residence Inn by Marriott, 4225 U.S. Route 1, Princeton (5 miles). 732-329-9600, 800-331-3131
• Summerfield Suites Hotel, 4375 U.S. Route 1, Princeton (5 miles). 609-951-0009, 800-833-4353

Aids for Family Historians

The resources of Special Collections are available to assist family historians who seek information on aumni/ae of the Seminary. Three sources of information are available to researchers: 1) the Biographical Catalogue of Princeton Theological Seminary, a multi-volume work available in Special Collections; 2) alumni/ae biographical records may be available for the era prior to 1950; 3) student or class photographs, where such exist, may be reproduced and purchased for a fee.

For family historians who seek wider information on their Presbyterian ancestors, the Presbyterian Historical Society offers a variety of resources and services for family historians , including an extensive collection of church records. 

Rare Books

The Rare Book and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries has published a FAQ about old and rare books. Patrons may find this FAQ useful when contemplating donating rare or old books to Special Collections.