Rush Rhees Library is the main academic library of the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. It is one of the most visible and recognizable landmarks on the university's River Campus. Construction began in 1927 with the other original River Campus buildings and the library was dedicated in 1930. It is named after

Benjamin Rush Rhees Benjamin Rush Rhees ( 08 February 1860–05 January 1939) was the third president of the University of Rochester, serving from 1900 to 1935. Education Rhees, great-grandson of radical Baptist minister Morgan John Rhys, earned his undergraduate d ...

, the university's third president. A major addition was added in 1970, which now houses the main computer lab, additional stacks and office space. Rush Rhees is the flagship of the River Campus Libraries System, which holds about 3 million volumes. The library featured an elevator completely original from 1930 until 2021 when it received a full modernization.

Rush Rhees Tower

Rush Rhees Tower stands high and houses the Hopeman Memorial

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

, the largest musical instrument in the city and one of only six in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It features 50 bells imported from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and weighs in at 6,668 lb (3,025 kg). The carillon chimes on the quarter-hour and weekly recitals are given by students and guests. An annual recital series is held during the summer.

Rossell Hope Robbins Library

Located on the 4th floor of Rush Rhees is the Rossell Hope Robbins Library, which houses a non-circulating medieval studies collection of more than 20,000 volumes. In addition to its holdings in all aspects of Middle English Literature, it also contains holdings in Old English, Anglo-Norman, and medieval French literature; medieval history, philosophy, theology, and art; manuscript studies; witchcraft; and Arthurian and Robin Hood studies. The collection was donated by medievalist Rossell Hope Robbins and his wife Helen Ann Mins Robbins in 1987 and, at the time, appraised for more than $750,000. Robbins also set provisions for new acquisitions and established a trust of $160,000 for a fellowship program.

References

External links

River Campus LibrariesRush Rhees LibraryHopeman Memorial Carillon
{{Authority control 1930 establishments in New York (state) Bell towers in the United States Educational buildings in Rochester, New York Carillons Library buildings completed in 1930 Libraries in New York (state) Tourist attractions in Rochester, New York University and college academic libraries in the United States University of Rochester