Hello, and thank you for your question! The Rakow Research Library has digitized thousands of items from its collection and made them available to view through our Library catalog. Below are some ways to determine whether a digital version of an item is available.
Simple Search
First, search the library catalog for materials on the topic you are interested in. When you locate an item in your search results that you would like to see, click on the title to view the item's record. If a digital version of this item is available, there will be a link and/or a thumbnail image of the item near the bottom of the record that should open a PDF version of the item (see images 1 and 2).
Once you have a list of search results, you may also be able to filter your item by "Collections" under "Improve Your Results." Some of your results may appear in one or more digital collections (see image 3).
Keyword Searching
Because our records indicate when an item has been digitized, you can also use keyword searching to identify digital materials.
It is safest to search digit* as your limiting keyword, in order to pick up materials that were digitized on a scanner as well as photography made using a digital camera. So, if you are looking for Corning Glass Works trade catalogs that have been digitized, your search would be:
corning glass works trade catalogs digit*
If an item record indicates digital material but there does not appear to be a link in the record, contact us and we will be happy to investigate. Digitizing materials and making them available is a multi-step process and an item might have been digitized but not made it through the other steps required to be displayed in the catalog.
Collection Discovery
Some of our digital collections can be browsed by using Collection Discovery in our catalog. Use navigation bar at the top of the searching screen to select Rakow Collections. You can search within collections or browse.
Collections Browser
In the Museum's collections browser, search Library Collections and limit to "has image" to see digitized items.
Digital Collections
Some of our digital collections are featured on the Library's website.
Accessing Non-Digitized Items
Interlibrary Loan
While we are digitizing new materials all the time, thousands of items in our collection cannot be made available digitally due to copyright and other restrictions. The good news is that the Rakow Research Library will lend designated books and microforms from its collection and will send copies of articles requested by other libraries. Your library can request items through the OCLC WorldShare Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system or by direct request through email at ill@cmog.org. For more information about our ILL policies and procedures, please see our ILL webpage. We may also be able to scan pages from trade catalogs, for instance, and email them directly to you.
Come to the Rakow Research Library at the Corning Museum of Glass
You are also welcome to come to Corning and use the resources of the Rakow Research Library. You can make an appointment to visit us on our Plan Your Visit website.
Please don't hesitate to call or email with additional questions!
