Special Collections
Explore Our Collections
WashU Libraries collect, preserve, promote, and make accessible rare, archival, and primary source materials that enrich teaching, learning, and research for the university community and beyond.
The Julian Edison Department of Special Collections focuses on six primary areas: the Dowd Illustration Research Archive, Film & Media Archive, Local History, Manuscripts, Rare Books, and the University Archives. An active program of class visits, exhibitions, workshops, and public events highlights the department’s vital role in scholarship at WashU and the wider community.
To search our collections, visit the Special Collections Research & Access page.
To learn more about giving to Special Collections, visit the Donating to Special Collections page.
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Collection Little Black Sambo Collection
The Little Black Sambo Collection holds 200 books and related ephemera in various illustration styles and languages.View Collection about Little Black Sambo Collection -
Collection Jan Garden Castro Papers
Jan Garden Castro's resources in Special Collections consist of the Jan Garden Castro Papers and a collection of materials donated...View Collection about Jan Garden Castro Papers -
Collection Philip Mills Arnold Comet Collection
The Arnold Comet Collection highlights the collector’s interests in early cometary science and its development over the past several hundred...View Collection about Philip Mills Arnold Comet Collection -
Collection Jack A. Kirkland Papers
The Jack A. Kirkland Papers consist of his publications and writings on the American Black family and social and economic...View Collection about Jack A. Kirkland Papers -
Collection Gert von Gontard Collection
Hildegard von Gontard gave the WashU Libraries a significant collection of books and manuscripts from her late husband, Gert von...View Collection about Gert von Gontard Collection -
Collection Pascal Pia Collection
Pascal Pia was the pen name of Pierre Durand (1903-1979), a French writer, journalist, and critic. Pia moved to Paris...View Collection about Pascal Pia Collection -
Collection Michael W. Friedlander Papers
The Michael W. Friedlander Papers contain a broad range of materials related to the WashU Physics Department, Michael Friedlander, and...View Collection about Michael W. Friedlander Papers -
Collection Iwanami Bunko: Global Classics in Translation After WWII
“Iwanami Bunko/岩波文庫” allows for the spread of literature and broader academic titles around the world through its publication of paperbacks.View Collection about Iwanami Bunko: Global Classics in Translation After WWII -
Collection Aaron Coleman Papers
The Aaron Coleman Papers demonstrate the author's dedication as both an artist and scholar from 2015 to 2021.View Collection about Aaron Coleman Papers -
Collection Assembly Series Lectures
WashU's signature Assembly Series lectures inspire discourse, complement curriculum, and engage the greater St. Louis community.View Collection about Assembly Series Lectures -
Collection The Maid of McMillan Student Film, 1916
The Maid of McMillan is a silent film written and produced by WashU in St. Louis students in the Thyrsus...View Collection about The Maid of McMillan Student Film, 1916 -
Collection William K. Bixby Collection
William K. Bixby made significant donations of manuscripts, letters, and printed books to the WashU Libraries. The Bixby Collection is...View Collection about William K. Bixby Collection
Collecting Areas
Digital Collections
Digital Collections highlight those portions of the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections that have been made or born-digital.
Dowd Illustration Research Archive
The Dowd Illustration Research Archive (formerly Dowd Modern Graphic History Library) at WashU includes original art and printed material from many popular American pictorial graphic culture fields.
East Asian Library Special Collections
The East Asian Library's special collection includes about 900 volumes of rare and special books, manuscripts, and other materials.
Film & Media Archive
The Archive is committed to the preservation of documentary film and other media which chronicles America's great political and social movements with a particular emphasis on the African-American experience.
Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections
The Art & Architecture Special Collections is a 4,200-volume collection of rare and unique art and design printed materials located at the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library. The main focus is illustrated books, prints, and photographs from the 18th and 19th centuries and contemporary book design.
Local History Collections
The local history collecting area focuses on the history of St. Louis and the surrounding region.
Manuscript Collections
WashU Libraries' Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Manuscript collections contain a broad range of materials dating from the 2nd century BC through the present.
Modern Literature Collection
The Modern Literature Collection includes more than 175 authors, presses, and journals, more than 125 of which are represented by manuscript materials.
Music Special Collections
Special Collections at the Gaylord Music Library include sheet music, manuscripts, rare books, and digital materials.
Rare Book Collections
The Rare Book Collections include books from all Special Collection areas. The collections’ primary strengths are in literature, the material culture of the book, including the history of printing, graphic design, and the book arts, and aspects of American and world history.
Washington University Archives
The University Archives chronicles the history of WashU from 1853 to today with over 300 unique collections, including campus publications, reports, photographic prints and negatives, books, film, sound recordings, oral histories, architectural plans, and artifacts.