Special collections
In library science, special collections (Spec. Coll. or S.C.) are libraries or library units that house materials requiring specialized security and user services. Special collections can be found in many different organisations including research libraries, universities, colleges, schools, national libraries, public libraries, museums, art galleries, archives, historic houses, cathedrals, subscription libraries, learned societies, hospitals, companies and monasteries.Materials housed in special collections can be in any format (including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, archives, ephemera, and digital records), and are generally characterized by their artifactual or monetary value, physical format, uniqueness or rarity, and/or an institutional commitment to long-term preservation and access. They can also include association with important figures or institutions in history, culture, politics, sciences, or the arts. Some special collections are recognised as being of global importance; the UNESCO Memory of the World Register includes documentary heritage material.
Individual libraries or archival institutions determine for themselves what constitute their own special collections, resulting in a somewhat mutable definition that is often a legacy of the institution's organisational structure. For example, archives may be part of a special collections department or managed separately, and whilst rare books and manuscripts are often kept within special collections some institutions may use the term exclusively for modern material. Larger, historically distinct collections may also be managed as part of a Special Collections department: for example, the British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent is part of the Templeman Library's Special Collections & Archives.
For research libraries, a special collections area or division can be a fundamental part of their mission. Some special collections are standalone institutions that are privately funded, such as the Newberry Library or the American Antiquarian Society while others are part of a larger institution, such as the Beinecke Library at Yale University or [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/special-collections Special Collections] at University College London. Many American university special collections grew out of the merging of rare book rooms and manuscripts departments in a university's library system.
In contrast to general (or circulating) libraries, the uniqueness of special collections means that they are not easily replaced (if at all) and therefore require a higher level of security and handling. Provided by Wikipedia
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8461Contributors: “...Iowa State University. Special Collections and University Archives (curator)...”
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8462Published 1978Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division...”
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8463by Le Rouge, Georges-LouisContributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
Published 1746
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8464by Jefferys, Thomas, d. 1771 Robert de Vaugondy, Didier, 1723-1786, Robert de Vaugondy, Didier 1723-1786Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
Published 1768
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8465Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
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8466Contributors: “...Iowa State University. Special Collections and University Archives (curator)...”
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8467by Cecil, Robert I.Contributors: “...Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives; Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas...”
Published 1988
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8468by Zatta, Antonio, active 1757-1797Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
Published 1776
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8469by Brown, Cassie, 1919-1986; Riggs, Bertram G., 1954-Contributors: “... of Newfoundland. Library. Archives and Special Collections Finding aid created by Bert Riggs...”
Published 1929
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8470by Imperatorskaia akademiia nauk (Russia) Miller, Gerard Fridrikh 1705-1783 Jefferys, Thomas d. 1771 Bowles, Carrington, 1724-1793Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
Published 1780
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8471Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
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8472Published 1939Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division...”
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8473Contributors: “...Iowa State University. Special Collections and University Archives (curator)...”
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8474Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division....”
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8475Heritage in Cedar: Northwest coast indians woodworking past and present (Kirks' camera), 1977 (clip)Published 1977Contributors: “...University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division...”
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8476Contributors: “...Iowa State University. Special Collections and University Archives (curator)...”
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