Skip to main content
Student holds coin while two onlookers ask questions at Kelvin Smith Library.
University Archives & Special Collections

For the first time in over fifty years, one of CWRU’s oldest collections is back on display. The Kelvin Smith Library Special Collections Coin Collection holds over three hundred coins spanning 600 years of ancient history, and a small group of historic coins from the modern era. Ancient Antioch to Contemporary Cleveland reintroduces the collection through the coins of the ancient city of Antioch and their journeys to Cleveland in the 19th century. On view now in the Henry R. Hatch Reading Room, located on the second floor.

 

shot of the FC lab through the glass
The Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship

The Freedman Center has been relaunched with a new space, new services, and new equipment. Our staff assists with everything from helping you find what software is on our computers to advising on initial project consultations, partnering on digital projects, and providing guidance on best practices in research data management and open-access scholarship. 

banners hanging from central stairwell
EXHIBIT

Celebrating CWRU's 200th Birthday!

In 2026, we celebrate CWRU's 200th birthday. For the 150th birthday, or sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of Western Reserve College in 1826, CWRU created heraldic banners representing CWRU's schools from its past. Nine of these have been replicated and are on display in the central staircase of Kelvin Smith Library. 

Highlights

  • Karen Oye
    May 26, 2026
    On Wednesday, June 3, research and engagement services librarian Karen Oye will retire from Case Western Reserve University. She has been an essential fixture at the library over the last 30 years, and she will be missed by many at Kelvin Smith Library and across the campus and community.Oye got…
  • Two students work at a desk at Kelvin Smith Library
    April 20, 2026
    The final stretch of spring semester is upon us, bringing with it the completion of classes, theses and research projects. Kelvin Smith Library is here to help you do your best, and these 5 library tips and resources will help ensure a successful end to this semester at Case Western Reserve…
  • Kelvin Smith Library building in the springtime with a flowering tree
    March 31, 2026
    This spring, Kelvin Smith Library is proud to announce the acquisition of the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) Archive. The comprehensive collection functions as the festival's institutional memory, documenting its growth from a 1977 subscription series into a premier international…