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The manuscript section of Special Collections & Archives collects historical materials originating from outside
Utah State University. The geographic scope for the department's manuscript collections range from local to international and cover a wide
variety of topics. Local collections include items such as letters and diaries from individuals as well as records from local businesses and
organizations. Collections with a statewide interest include the personal and research papers of two prominent Utah historians:
Leonard J. Arrington and S. George Ellsworth. One of the department's major international collections is the papers of Thomas G. Masaryk, the
first President of Czechoslovakia.
The most prominent collection in Special Collections is the Jack London papers. Utah State University has the second largest archival
collection of London materials in the world. The collection contains a wide variety of items including correspondence, manuscripts,
autographed first editions of London's works, and personal family pictures.
Over the years the manuscript section has focused its collecting efforts on several specific topics such as agriculture, water development,
and the Intermountain West. In addition to Jack London, some other areas in which Utah State University's manuscript holdings have a
national reputation include Mormon history and American folklore. (USU is the official repository for the papers of the American Folklore
Society.)
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