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Riggsby Library & Reading Room

A quiet, comfortable place to work, study, and collaborate.

Endowed by its namesakes, Stuart and Kate Riggsby, the Marco Riggsby Library & Reading Room was officially opened in November 2013. Housed in the Marco Institute’s home at Cherokee Mills Suite 102B, the space supports Marco, UTK, and the wider regional community

The Library

The Riggsby Library contains a growing collection of reference materials, primary editions, and digital resources on medieval and early modern topics. It is a non-circulating library. If you are a visiting scholar and would like to access our collections, please contact us at marco@utk.edu to confirm that the library will be open during your visit.

The Reading Room

The Riggsby Reading Room offers a welcoming space for students, faculty, and visiting scholars. Our facilities include:

  • Two computer stations, with vertical display capabilities for better viewing manuscript images
  • Scanner
  • Table with room to spread out and study
  • Microfilm reader

To request access to the Reading Room, please contact Marco’s Program Coordinator at marco@utk.edu.

Bayeux Tapestry Facsimile

In the summer of 2018 the Marco Institute acquired a limited edition scroll-table facsimile of the Bayeux Tapestry, the famous 11th-century embroidery depicting the events leading up to and surrounding the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The facsimile is on display in the Riggsby Reading Room, and is available as a resource for teaching and research.

Facsimile Finder‘s detailed video of the facsimile (below) was filmed using Marco’s copy of the Tapestry!

Manuscripts and Facsimiles in UT Special Collections:

Note: The links below represent only a partial list of UT’s facsimile and manuscript holdings. Check the UT Libraries/Special Collections website for more complete information including the most recent acquisitions.

Reading Room & Library Usage Guidelines (PDF)