The collection is housed in a large gallery adjacent to the Department of Rare Books in Princeton University's Firestone Library. They are protected behind glass walls and reserved for scholarly use. But some books and artifacts are on display in the gallery, and there are bins full of beautiful picture books that young visitors are welcome to browse and read. And the curator may be available to show the children a special book or two from the Cotsen collection. The spacious gallery houses a permanent interactive exhibit designed to inspire young readers to value books and take delight in the literature written especially for them.
Magic telephones modify their voices to sound like different characters.
A projector captures their faces on an electronic book page, where they can add funny features, such as horns and whiskers. An on-screen director rehearses them in a fractured fairy tale of their choosing. A monitor in the viewing area outside the studio replays the screen test so the children can enjoy their own performance. The Cotsen gallery is open daily and on weekends to casual visitors, and to groups by appointment. There is no admission fee.