Dr. I. A. Richards (1893-1979) was an influential English literary critic and rhetorician. His books on literary criticism, especially The Meaning of Meaning, Principles of Literary Criticism, Practical Criticism, and The Philosophy of Rhetoric, are taken to be founding influences for the New Criticism. Richards is also considered one of the founders of the contemporary study of literature in English.

The I. A. Richards Collection at the Special Collections department contains a large selection of Richards' work in language learning and literacy, in the form of textbooks, workbooks, brochures, audio-visual materials, index cards, phonograph records, and slides.