About Special Collections and Archives
The mission of the Division of Special Collections and Archives is to collect, preserve and make available for the use of students, faculty, scholars and the general public, the special collections materials of the
Utah State University libraries. Special Collections and Archives encompasses materials that due to uniqueness, fragility, age, rarity, unusual format, monetary value or subject emphasis, the libraries have elected to place in a
secure, monitored, closed-stack environment. These materials include but are not limited to 1) manuscripts, 2) photographs, 3) rare books and serials, 4) book arts, 5) art works on paper, and 6) the permanent, historical records of
Utah State University.
Merrill Library's Special Collections and Archives Division is composed of seven sections:
- Art Book Collections, consists of the Art Book Room, Rm 042, and the Art and Music Library located in the Fine Arts Collection area.
- Fife Folklore Archives, with collections of books, manuscripts, and data to support the USU Folklore program.
- Manuscripts, containing the Jack London papers, the Leonard J. Arrington Historical Archive, the S. George and Maria Ellsworth collections, and other manuscript collections of national, state, and local interest.
- Photographs, containing around 400,000 mostly original images from Cache Valley, Utah, and the West.
- Preservation, which deals with the care and preservation of books and rare documents.
- University Archives, which houses everything by or about the University, including photographs, books, and brochures.
- Special Collections Books, including Western and Great Basin history materials, Mormon history resources, local history materials, Utah state documents, rare and early U.S. Government documents, and Western books and brochures.