Resources at Spertus – Spertus Institute’s Library Help Desk

Welcome to the Library Resource page. This form lets you ask our knowledgeable librarians how to research your questions about Jewish religion, history, customs and culture using the resources in our extensive collection. This form can also help you decide how to donate Jewish cultural resources you possess.

Resources Donation and Inquiry Form

First Name

First

Last Name

Last

Email Address

We will only use this to communicate with you about this inquiry.

Type of Inquiry

Question about our broad Spertus library resource collections, which include materials about Jewish religion, history, customs and culture.

Donation to the Spertus Collection

Question for Resources staff *

Details about my Donation

My donation includes high-value items of unique cultural or scholarly interest.

My donation includes personal family items. They are too nice to discard but we can no longer keep them.

High-value items include rare artwork and manuscripts, the letters and personal effects of prominent leaders of the Jewish community, rare or valuable religious ritual objects, and other items that have a direct connection to significant events in Jewish history.

The Spertus Collection is home to a prestigious array of Jewish cultural heritage. Your donated items will be permanently stored on-site in our climate-controlled archive. All relevant details about your items' origin and your decision to donate will be meticulously recorded and maintained for scholarly research and the enjoyment and edification of future generations.

Description of items *

Personal family items include mass-produced personal devotional items such as prayer books, passover haggadot, shawls and mezuzot; Jewish-themed personal property such as jewelry, garments, books, musical and video recordings, computer software, memorabilia and keepsakes, artwork and household decorative items; family portraits, photo albums and scrapbooks.

The Spertus Collection does not accept donations of personal family items. Worn-out religious items may be discarded at your local congregation's genizah. You may wish to donate non-religious items to a local charity, or contact the YIVO institute in New York, which accepts such cherished family items.

Book Donations

Open Books and the Newberry Library are two Chicago-based resources that accept book donations.

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