University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Rare Book Collection

The Library's Rare Book Collection had its origin in the establishment, in 1929, of the Hanes Foundation for the Study of the Origin and Development of the Book, which was made possible by an endowment from the family of John Wesley and Anna Hodgin Hanes. The Hanes endowment enabled the Library to acquire a fine colleciton of incunabula, which became the core of its rare book holdings. Other endowments were later obtained and valuable collections added, including collections of Shakespeare, Johnson, Boswell, Dickens, and Cruikshank. In 1952 the Library's rare books were brought together in a new Rare Book Room. Lawrence F. London became the first full-time Curator of Rare Books in 1959 and served until 1975.

The Rare Book Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has its origins in the Hanes family's 1929 gift of a significant collection of incunabula. At the time of the gift, Frederic M. Hanes announced that he and other members of his family would continue to support the growth of a collection that would include examples of the origin and development of the book. Hanes also said he thought the University should provide an appropriate setting for such a collection. The Great Depression and World War II intervened, however, and it was not until the completion in 1952 of an addition to the Library that the University was able to establish its Rare Book Room, now called the Rare Book Collection.

When the Rare Book Room opened in 1952, it was one of the administrative responsibilities of the Associate Librarian, who administered it with the assistance of a part-time librarian and a research assistant. The first full-time Curator was appointed in 1959. Curators have included Lawrence Foushee London (1959-1975), Paul S. Koda (1975-1984), Roberta Engleman, Acting (1984-1985), and Charles McNamara (1986-2006).