Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are small print or decorative labels pasted into the front of a book to indicate ownership. Printed bookplates have been in use since the mid-15th century, and often bear the name of the book's owner, a motto, coat-of-arms, crest, badge, or other decorative imagery. Around the turn of the 20th century, bookplates started to be admired for their aesthetic value as miniature prints, and were often commissioned to collect, exhibit, and exchange as works of art. Printing plates are typically metal or wooden blocks with text and images carved into the plate. The plates use ink to transfer a design onto printed items, such as bookplates.

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Library collected these bookplates and printing plates over time, primarily throughout the 1960s and 1970s.