About Special Collections & University Archives

Hours
Location: Knight Library, 2nd floor North, 15th & Kincaid Street, University of Oregon
Mailing address: UO Libraries--SPC, 1299 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1299
Paulson Reading Room 541-346-3068
Fax 541-346-1882
Reference & use requests spcarref@uoregon.edu

Special Collections and University Archives hold over 3,000 collections; more than a million items ranging from medieval codices and rare books to literary and historical manuscripts, university archives, original art, photographs, architectural drawings, and ephemera. The department preserves regional history, provides curriculum support, and assists amateur and scholarly researchers in many fields. Frequently Asked Questions

Mission

Special Collections and University Archives is the primary repository for the University of Oregon’s archives, rare books, historic photographs, and one of the largest historical manuscripts collections in the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to acquire, preserve, and make available a clearly defined set of primary sources and rare books, reflecting the written, visual, and audio history and culture of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and selected aspects of American and world history. Our diverse collections support all types of research, from K–12 education to international scholarship. We strive to play an active and creative role in the teaching, research, and service missions of the University. (2/17/2010)

Access

Our collections are available to all registered users. There is no cost for registration, it is a simple security process. Some collections are stored off-site; others may be temporarily unavailable due to special projects. Researchers are urged to contact us to ensure that we are open and that your collections are available to you upon your arrival.

History

Special Collections grew from the work of the History Department, which began collecting materials about Oregon history shortly after the University was established in 1875. The Oregon Collection was developed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and formed the nucleus of the Rare Book collections augmented in the 1930s by the Burgess manuscripts. Special Collections was formally created in 1947as a library department under curator Martin Schmitt, who worked with Ed Kemp to acquire manuscript, book and photograph collections. The Library was named official repository for University records in 1948. Archives rejoined Special Collections in 1998; University Records was separated from Archives and Special Collections in 2007.

Holdings

The collections include over 100,000 monographs, 17,000 linear feet of manuscripts, 19,000 linear feet of University Archives, 400,000 photographs, 5,000 architectural drawings, 5,000 original drawings and illustrations, and over 20,000 broadsides, pamphlets, postage stamps, autographs, and pieces of ephemera. Among the most notable holdings are the Ken Kesey papers, Abigail Scott Duniway papers, Senator Wayne Morse papers, Paul Wiener papers, James Ivory papers, Ursula Le Guin papers, Doris Ulmann photography archives, works by authors and illustrators of children's literature, and the Major Lee Moorhouse photographs of Native Americans. Holdings also include important collections of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts; incunabula; collections devoted to the writings of major individual authors, such as Barry Lopez and Ernest Haycox; and manuscript and archival collections that offer research opportunities in a wide variety of historical and literary subjects.

The manuscript, photograph, archives, and book collections in Special Collections and University Archives are the collections that make the University of Oregon Library a research library. These collections provide the materials for original scholarship and the resources through which the present generation of scholars can train the next in research methodologies and critical thinking. These collections, because of their significance, draw faculty, researchers, and talented students to the University, and thus help establish a national reputation for the Library and enhance the prestige of the University. They are at the very heart of the University's research and teaching mission.

Staff

Reference and use requests: spcarref@uoregon.edu

James D. Fox, Director, 541-346-1904
Bruce Tabb, Rare Books & Public Services Librarian, 541-346-1846
Cassandra Schmitt, Accessioning & Processing Archivist, 541-346-1597
Erin Wolfe, Collections Coordinator, 541-346-1908
TBA, Corrigan Solari University Archivist and Historian, 541-346-1899
Lesli Larson, Image Services Supervisor, 541-346-1946
Linda Long, Manuscripts Librarian, 541-346-1906
Kira Homo, Electronic Records Archivist, 541-346-2487
Marilyn Reaves, Assistant to the Director, 541-346-1949
Normandy Helmer, Access & Preservation Officer, 541-346-1864

Maintained by: N. Helmer, spcarref@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 10/18/2011