Facilities
Special Collections welcomes researchers to learn more about our reading room, storage environment, and exhibition spaces by browsing our facilities gallery below.
Entrance to Special Collections
Welcome to Special Collections! We are located on the 4th floor of the UTC Library across from the Andrew C. Roth Grand Reading Room.
Connor Reading Room
Named for George C. Connor, a beloved UTC Professor English from 1959 to 1985, the Special Collections Reading Room offers a quiet space to conduct research with our resources.
Conduct Research
Materials in Special Collections are often valuable, rare, and in many cases absolutely unique. In order to preserve these materials for generations to come, Special Collections does not circulate materials.
Storage Environment
Rare books are housed in our state of the art preservation environment, which maintains a constant temperature of 65°F and relative humidity of 55%. Our storage environment also features lights programmed to turn off after three minutes of inactivity automatically in the stacks to protect materials.
Archival Enclosures
In addition to rare books, Special Collections preserves and provides access to archival materials such as photographs, diaries, letters, and other materials that document the University, Chattanooga, and the South. Materials are stored in acid-free, lignin-free archival storage boxes that keep materials free of dust and damage.
Flat Files
Oversized material such as maps, paintings, aerial photographs, and newspapers are protected in specialty file cabinets.
Environmental Chamber
Special Collections stores photographic materials in our environmental chamber, which maintains a constant temperature of 60°F and relative humidity of 45%.
Processing and Digitization Lab
We work hard to make our materials as accessible as possible. For us, this means making our collections available online.
Photography Studio
Special Collections uses a Hasselblad H6D-50c camera to capture oversize materials and three-dimensional objects.
Exhibits
We regularly display materials from our collections in the George Connor Special Collections Reading Room and the Andrew C. Roth Grand Reading Room, both of which are located on the 4th floor of the UTC Library.
Visit
Visit us in Special Collections today to explore the unique cultural heritage resources we offer! To make the most of your visit, we recommend making an appointment with one of our knowledgeable archivists.
Storage
Special Collections secure storage environment is located on the fourth floor the University's Library. Special Collection's climate-controlled stacks feature 2,550 linear feet of compact shelving, 3,200 linear feet of open shelving, 35 vertical feet of flat file cases for oversize documents, and 75 linear feet of file cabinets for hanging vertical files. In total, the storage environment offers 5,560 feet of shelving and cases for an estimated 3,500 linear feet of materials in the Rare Books, Manuscripts, University Archives, and Chattanooga History Collections.
Environmental Controls
All materials are housed in Special Collections' state-of-the-art storage facility, which is maintained at a constant temperature and relative humidity of 65 °F and 55%, respectively. Additionally, Special Collections boasts an environmental chamber with a constant temperature of 60 °F and 45% relative humidity. Overhead lights are programmed to automatically turn off after three minutes of inactivity in the stacks, protecting our unique and valuable materials from constant light exposure. Windows in the storage environment feature blackout film that further protects collections from UV and light.
Security
Special Collections is also dedicated to securing collections. The repository accomplishes this by creating detailed inventories of materials and their containers. Each box, garment bag, vertical file, and flat file in Special Collections is labeled and barcoded, which ensures physical control of collections. Access to the storage environment is monitored through the University's identification card access system.
Accessibility
Special Collections is committed to making collections as accessible as possible. The repository is open to the university and public. Materials from Special Collections are exhibited on a regular basis in the UTC Library's Andrew C. Roth Grand Reading Room, which features two permanent display cases. The display cases feature a protective coating that filters light to protect materials. Items are not displayed for more than six months at a time, which further protects the materials from damage.