When visiting Special Collections and Archives Division, you'll notice we handle resources a little differently in our department. We have what are called, "closed stacks" or "non-circulating," meaning you can't just walk in and pull a book of the shelf. The resources are available for use, but a few extra steps need to be taken as well as some protocols to follow.
Student working in the Special Collections and Archives Division Reading Room
We always welcome guests to the Special Collections and Archives Division, but understanding the differences between our department and other resources in the library is important. The Nebula Gallery is located in our department, and we encourage visitors to come in and view the gallery when an exhibit is being held. However, if you are interested in using any of our materials for research, a Research Request Form must be completed prior to utilizing any of our materials. Unlike other areas of the library, our items are considered in "closed stacks," meaning you are unable to check-out any materials or leave the department with them. These items are considered rare, special, and/or too delicate to be held in the regular book stacks.
Once the form is completed, we will be able to schedule a time for you to visit the Special Collections and Archives Division where we will have your requested items available for use within our department. Because of the particular items housed in Special Collections and Archives Division, you will have staff available to make sure items are treated appropriately and that the materials are kept in the order.
Another way you might visit Special Collections and Archives Division is during a class time organized by your professor. Oftentimes Special Collections or primary sources can be utilized in conjunction with topics you are covering in class. During these occurrences, your professor and the Special Collections staff have created an agenda appropriate to the project at hand.
If you're looking for information on the history of the university, rare books, or other portions of our collections, there are a few ways to search for items. You can start your search by searching all of the Special Collections Archives or by searching more specific collections below.
In order to utilize the materials, you are interested in, you will need to fill out a Research Request Form that you'll find more about in the Making a Research Request section below. While locating Rare Books in the catalog, be sure to make note of title of the book, author if it is noted, and the call number to add to the request. If you are interested in an item(s) from a particular Special Collection, make note of the collection title, its location, and its Box/Folder number and the description of each item you are interested in.
Louise B. Belsterling Botanical Collections
Below you'll find two ways to locate materials in the Louise B. Belsterling Botanical Collections
Rare Books
Below you'll find ways to search the Rare Book Collection:
Wineburgh Philatelic Research Library
Below you'll find multiple ways to find resources in the Philatelic Research Library:
History of Aviation Archives
To locate specific portions of the History of Aviation Archives, choose from one of the sections below:
The CAT/Air America Archives
The Chance Vought Archives
General Aviation Collections
The George H. Williams, Jr. World War I Aviation Library
The James H. Doolittle Collection
Twirly Birds
The Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl Lighter-Than-Air Collection
The Air-Log
Ambassador Sullivan Book Collection
Jalonick Lecture Series
University Archives
Below you'll find multiple ways to reach our University Archives Collection:
After you locate the item or items you are interested in seeing, you will need to fill out a Research Request Form in order to provide the best service and assure your requested is available.
The Research Request Form will ask about what collection you are interested in, the purpose of your research, and how you plan to use the materials. It will then ask for a description of the items and their location in the archive, i.e. Box/Folder #.