Special Collections and Archives cares for the University’s and regional history by collecting primary-research collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, recordings and ephemera.
To care for the material’s condition for future generations, photocopies are made by staff upon request. The departmental staff may deny duplication requests to preserve the material, or because of donor restrictions, or due to Library or university policy.
West Tennessee Heritage Study Center (WTHSC)
WTHSC focuses on West Tennessee genealogy, social history, culture, and family history. The collection includes resources on all Tennessee counties with in-depth material on West Tennessee counties, and survey collections on North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. The collection includes books of general genealogical significance, and other topics relating to family history. The microfilm collection includes local newspapers, regional county records, and federal censuses for Tennessee. The WTHSC room is open for public use during regular library hours. Users are asked to check in and out with a piece of identification, lock up bags and purses, and use only pencils and computers for notes.
University Archives
The University Archives collects the historical record of the University of Tennessee at Martin and its predecessors and maintains the records of University offices and departments. Besides administrative records the collection includes printed material, theses, papers, photographs, and a realia collection. Printed material includes administrative reports, governance committee records, and printed ephemera. University scholarship can be found digitally at Scholarship UTM .
Special Collections
Special Collections collects unpublished personal and family papers, business records, individual documents, books, recordings and items of historical value pertaining mostly to West Tennessee. There are times when Special Collections may obtain items of historical value with a broader appeal. This decision will be made by the head of the department. The department also maintains a digital archives of a number of its collections including political manuscripts. Special Collections and Archives is open from 7:30am-4:30pm Monday through Friday, or otherwise by prior arrangement with departmental staff.
J. Houston Gordon (University) Museum
The J. Houston Gordon Museum exhibits and interprets University and regional history and provides an on-campus venue for travelling exhibitions in varying subjects of interest to the campus and surrounding communities. The Museum also occasionally conducts presentations pertaining to the current exhibit. For information on current and upcoming exhibits, visit the Museum’s Facebook page.
The Museum is adjacent to the Corbitt Special Collections reading area, to the left of the Library’s Circulation Desk. The Museum is open from 7:30am-4:30pm Monday through Friday or by special arrangement.
This library is a congressionally designated selective depository for U.S. government documents. Public Access to government documents is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 U.S.C).
