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HomeSpecial Collections & University Archives
- Location: Knight Library, 2nd floor North
- Mail: UO Libraries--SPC
- 1299 University of Oregon
- Eugene OR 97403-1299
- (541) 346-3068 (Paulson Reading Room)
- Fax: (541) 346-1882
- spcarref@uoregon.edu
- Hours
Special Collections provides an unmatched and irreplaceable record of Northwest history and culture. Its treasures include 40,000 rare books; a notable collection of illuminated medieval manuscripts; a growing collection of fine press books; nearly 500,000 photographic images including rare glass plate negatives documenting regional histories; one of the nation's leading children's literature collections; and the personal papers of notable Western writers and statesmen such as former Oregon Senator Wayne Morse. Other collection strengths include speculative fiction, women in society, missionaries, and intentional communities. University Archives is the official repository of the University's records and its historical documents.
Hours
See our Google calendar
Summer term hours
June 23-August 15
Monday through Friday: 10 am to 4:30 pm
Closed weekdays
News & Notes
- Olympic Track & Field Trials are coming to campus! From June 26-July 6, Eugene and the University will host a national sporting event. Please be aware that campus will be extremely crowded, no accommodations are available in the area, and parking will be very challenging. Out-of-town researchers may want to schedule their visit for another time. For information on the event see the Eugene 08 site. An exhibit celebrating Eugene, track, and the Olympics is currently on display in the Knight Library lobby, drawn from the Leadership & Legacy website
- New exhibit: Americans All: Japanese-American Students at the University of Oregon, 1942-1945, honors a group of nineteen Japanese American students who received honorary degrees on April 6, 2008. The students being recognized were forced to leave the university during World War II before receiving their degrees as part of a relocation program. Material in the exhibit is drawn from a collection of Japanese American Student Council Relocation Records, which are housed in the library's Special Collections & University Archives. The entire holdings of Japanese American Student Council Relocation Records have been digitized and can be viewed online as part of the UO Libraries' Digital Collections at http://boundless.uoregon.edu/digcol/jasr/index.html.
- Changing exhibits at the Living Learning Center in support of the Community Conversations series
- Northwest Digital Archives continues to grow, now offering more than 2,000 finding aids to regional collections. The NEH grant has ended, but NWDA will continue as a program of the Orbis-Cascade Alliance.
General Information
Please request architectural drawings 48 hours in advance of your visit. Materials with the "Storage" designation are stored off-campus and require a minimum of two working days for retrieval. For security reasons, materials of extremely high value or contentious content will not be available on Saturdays unless you have made prior arrangements with us to ensure the availability of additional staff.
Special Collections & University Archives is the repository for the Libraries' rare materials and for the official documentation of the University. Many of our items are fragile and irreplaceable, so we require careful handling and monitored use of all materials. Materials may only be used within the Paulson Reading Room, and no self-service duplication of materials is permitted. While some of our collections are listed in the online catalog, many more require use special tools. Our staff is happy to help you find what you need.
Reference assistance is available at no cost. Researchers are encouraged to notify us in advance of planned visits, so we may have materials on site. Off-site materials require one week's notice for availability. Research assistance is available for $60 per hour. Please submit all research requests in writing: e-mail spcarref@uoregon.edu or send fax to 541-346-1882.
Collections
More than a hundred of our inventories are now fully searchable online, in the database Northwest Digital Archives. The database now includes more than 2,200 inventories. An additional NEH grant has been awarded will support the addition of more inventories and digitized content.
The Labor Project is a database offering access to our manuscript holdings related to unions, labor activism, and workers.
The Oregon Collection (SCA OrColl) reflects the history, literature, and life in Oregon and the Oregon Territory. The Oregon Collection brings together a wealth of material about Oregon and the Oregon Territory, and its peoples. In addition to highlighting regional and local histories, the Oregon Collection also contains the works of Oregon authors and reference tools for Oregon history. Search the online catalog.
The extensive Manuscripts Collection (SCA Manus) includes a variety of political materials including the papers of Sen. Wayne Morse, children's literature, documentation of women in society, missionaries, feminist and lesbian periodicals, Oregon trail diaries, and architectural materials. Alphabetical lists of collections are available online; other finding aids can be consulted in the Paulson Reading Room.
The University Archives (SCA Archives) contains the official records of the University of Oregon dating from 1872. The archives includes paper records, university publications, theses and dissertations photographs and negatives, audio tapes, film, and memorabilia reflecting history and events connected to the University. Commonly used collections are listed online.
The Rare Book collections include a general collection (SCA Rare Bks) and many named collections (for example, SCA Burgess and SCA Haycox). Among them are particular strength in early printing and binding (Burgess , Quayle, Lane/Hall collections). The Warner Collection (SCA Warner), assembled by the founder of the Art Museum, has magnificent works on East Asian art. The works of Western writer Ernest W. Haycox are complemented by an extensive pulp magazine and paperback collection (1930s-1960s). Some materials are searchable through the online catalog; other search tools are available within the Paulson Reading Room.
The Historic and Contemporary Photograph Collection (SCA Photos) includes approximately 500,000 images. Core holdings include the Moorhouse collection (Pendleton region, 1880s-1920s), the Angelus Collection (commercial studio in Portland, 1890s-1940s), the Doris Ulmann Collection (pictorialist works including portraits, Appalachian craftsmen and farmers, 1900-1920s), and the Clarence Andrews Collection (Alaska c. 1910). Lists of collections are available online. We are in the process of digitizing selected collections including the Eugene Print Collection.
Maintained by: N. Helmer, spcarref@uoregon.eduLast Modified: 06/26/2008