By appointment only.
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Welcome to Special Collections! The Special Collections Department of Swisher Library stewards unique, typically one-of-a-kind materials to represent all facets of Jacksonville University history, activities, student life, community engagement, and cultural legacy. Certain collections also support Jacksonville University curriculums by providing students with hands-on research experience with historical materials on a wide range of topics. Special Collections seeks to acquire and provide community access to materials that help engage students with historical research, artistic creation, and foster a sense of connection with Jacksonville University history...with an eye directed towards its future. The Special Collections Department contains the Special Collections and University Archives collecting units; the department's title, "Special Collections," is an umbrella term that Swisher Library uses synonymously to refer to both independent collecting units.
The Special Collections Reading Room is located on the Main Floor of the Swisher Library on JU's main campus. All reference, research, and tour requests require prescheduled appointments. Please visit the Research Q&A tab for more information about how to schedule appointments, tours, and digital materials requests from Special Collections. Patrons who use the Reading Room are asked to follow all written and verbal instructions regarding material handling and use, as provided by the Special Collections Coordinator. These instructions aim to ensure the longevity of materials for use by current and future JU generations.
Special Collections is grateful to the gracious alumni, friends, and community members who have contributed collection materials and monetary support to the department over the years! Special Collections is not currently accepting new collections; only material accruals to currently housed collections (both Special Collections and University Archives units). If you would still like to help support Special Collections processing, digitization, and outreach initiatives, please consider donating a Monetary Gift to Swisher Library (specifying the Special Collections Department in the "Notes" section).
Access to certain Special Collections materials may be restricted due to the presence of sensitive information in the materials. Please note that Special Collections does not retain the copyright to all materials in its stewardship. Researchers are encouraged to follow copyright and reproduction guidelines when seeking to use Special Collections materials beyond Fair Use allowances. When citing materials in personal or published research projects, please credit the repository following credit the the Chicago style examples on the Special Collections tab.
Popular Collections within Special Collections includes:
A subsection within Special Collections is the University Archives. The University Archives primarily collects manuscript and digital materials from all Jacksonville University departments and affiliated student organizations to document campus functions, procedures, and history. The University Archives collecting unit contains both publicly accessible and confidential records; as such, some requests may be denied depending on the nature of the request and the individual restriction statuses of materials. Please note that Special Collections does not retain the copyright to all University Archives materials in its stewardship. Researchers are encouraged to follow copyright and reproduction guidelines when seeking to use Special Collections materials beyond Fair Use allowances. When citing materials in personal or published research projects, please credit the repository following credit the the Chicago style examples on the University Archives tab.
Popular Collections within University Archives includes:
The previously mentioned University Archives materials are available for digital-browsing through the Digital Archives for patrons with JU credentials. Visit the Digital Archives tab for more information on our digitally-accessible holdings and policies.