Reading 17th and 18th century documents has its quirks. When working with these resources, remember to look for these options:
Variant spellings: Before the standardization of English, many words had a number of alternate spellings. Check to see if your database has a variant spellings feature, or enter variants manually.
The long S: This symbol ſ was used when S appeared in the beginning and middle of a word.
U and V: These letters used to be interchangable, with v appearing at the beginning of a word and u in the middle.
Dates: Some databases may permit searches outside of your date range, so take care to limit dates if necessary.
Rare books, manuscripts, periodicals, and other resources can be found in print in our Special Collections center. To use any of these materials, please head to the Reading Room on the 6th floor of the Van Pelt Library.
Use Franklin, the Library Catalog, to search for rare materials. When you find an item you'd like to see, enter the record, and click on the link that says "Request to view in reading room." You'll then need to set up a special collections account, which is free and only needs to be submitted once.
