Special Collections and University Archives

Special Collections and Archives collects, organizes, preserves, and makes accessible materials of enduring value that support the mission of the St. Mary's University. The University Archives houses materials which document the history of the University. 

Access to Special Collections and University Archives

The Louis J. Blume Library Special Collections and University Archives welcomes undergraduate, graduate, and public researchers who want to consult our collections. All Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book items must be consulted in our reading room by making an appointment in advance of your visit. However, appointment requests are not being taken at this time as the Library is undergoing changes in staffing. Please contact Diane Duesterhoeft, Professor and Reference and Instruction Librarian, for any questions.

Pencils only or laptops are allowed for taking notes. Handheld cameras, tablets or cellphones [without flash] are recommended for photographs which may be used for research purposes only.  Photocopies and digital scans from the special collections are completed by library staff  and can be requested only of unbound and non-fragile materials that would not be damaged in the process. We do allow researchers to take photographs with their own devices for research purposes only. Researchers must ask permission before publishing, posting or otherwise broadcasting copies of any materials in our collections.

It is recommended that researchers complete secondary research on a topic before embarking upon primary research with the archival collections.  If this is your first time doing archival research, we recommend that you consult the SAA e-publication Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research and our Introduction to Archival Research page.