Archives & Special Collections

Archival Collections

Archival collections contain unique papers and records created by individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and other institutions that only exist in our archive. Most of these materials are unpublished and require a finding aid, a guide to help describe the contents of an archival collection. Due to the uniqueness and condition of many of our materials, all materials are non-circulating and must be accessed in the Eugene W. Smith Reading Room, located on the 7^th floor of the Dean B. Ellis Library.

Our finding aids are available online through ArchivesSpace, an online catalog similar to a library catalog, for archival material. Our materials are divided into three categories: Northeast Arkansas and Delta Collection which focuses on preserving the heritage of this region of Arkansas; University Records which houses the organization and function of Arkansas State University; and the Manuscript Collections which focuses on the manuscripts and drafts of Arkansas authors.

Please contact archives@astate.edu if you have any questions about our collections and to reserve a time to view our material.

All unprocessed collections are not available to researchers.

To learn more about Finding Aids and how to use ArchivesSpace, please see our ArchivesSpace at A-State page.

Special Collections

Special Collections primarily houses the Arkansas Collection which consists of over eight thousand books pertaining to the state, the people, and books authored or about Arkansas. Included in the collection are several volumes of books pertaining to Arkansas State University. Special Collections also houses the Cass Hough Aeronautic Book Collection, the Lois Lenski Collection, and the Mary Gay Shipley Book Collection.

To learn more about some the authors and collections housed in Special Collections, please visit the Special Collections page and/or contact Archives & Special Collections at archives@astate.edu. All books and materials in Special Collections are non-circulating.

The KAIT-8 TV News Film Collection contains over two hundred reels of 16mm raw, unprocessed film footage from May 1973 to 1980. Topics covered in the film footage includes Arkansas State University sports, politics with city council meetings and interviews with politicians like Bill Alexander and "Bo" Hollmen, the 1973 tornado, and other local subjects. The film reels have been digitized and are being processed and described. Contact Archives & Special Collections to learn more about the collection. Please allow the archivist a minimum 2-3 weeks to review the footage, and 6-8 weeks to work through any licensing for commercial use.