Library Special Collections include items that are rare or unique, relevant to specific research areas, and made available with an interest in preserving and protecting the materials. Here at the University of Arkansas Libraries that includes:
The Special Collections at the University of Arkansas Libraries, like most archives, provides access to thousands of holdings. It can be a little overwhelming figuring out where to begin and what sorts of material to look for.
The best place to begin is on the library website, using either:
Special Collections contains more than 1700 manuscripts. Many of the collections have online finding aids available to help guide your research. The finding aids include descriptions of the collections and lists of where contents are held.
Other materials such as maps and broadsides can be found through the Library's OneSearch catalog. The website includes broad topic guides that direct researchers to topics and areas that are popular or particularly well represented in the Special Collections holdings. These include:
The Special Collections Department has trained and knowledgeable staff available to help you with your research, although only you can do the research necessary to complete your project.
You can ask Special Collections staff about:
There is too much material in Special Collections to have it all on the website, and because many of the materials are sensitive, you must visit the reading room in order to view them or work with reading room staff to obtain copies.