VCP at LCP: The Visual Culture Program at the Library Company of Philadelphia

Collections Policy

Scholars and the general public are increasingly aware of the importance of the visual in examining the past. The consequent growing interest in visual materials affects our collecting decisions for both books and graphics. The overarching guidelines in place for the development of our book and graphics collections apply to the Visual Culture Program, with certain added emphases outlined here.

Visual materials documenting the technology of the production of graphics
Graphic ephemera that complement the more national collecting strengths of the library, including Afro-Americana, popular medicine, and economy and society
Separately-issued graphics pertaining to late 19th- and early 20th-century popular culture
Printed material that is heavily illustrated, with a particular interest in innovative illustration processes
Works that can help us understand the visual significance of non-illustrative material such as typography and book decoration
Material that refers to optics and vision