About Special Collections

The Special Collections unit of the Library at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is the repository for the university's collections of manuscripts, university records and publications, rare books and maps, theses and dissertations, and other archival material. A team of three faculty archivists, one faculty librarian, and one staff member responsibly stewards nearly 4,500 linear feet of archival material, more than 14,000 print books, theses, and journals, and over 35 terabytes of digitized surrogates and born digital assets.

Special Collections supports a wide range of researchers including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, members of the community, and other scholars whose work relies on primary source materials. Additionally, the repository manages scholarly communications, open publishing, affordable course, and data management initiatives on campus. In June 2017, the repository accepted joint responsibility for the curation of the Chattanooga History Collections, which are co-owned by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Public Library.

Mission

Special Collections preserves and provides access to distinctive collections and fosters critical engagement with the past.

Vision

Special Collections ethically stewards collections that reflect our community and actively removes barriers to access by engaging diverse perspectives.