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Rare Books & Manuscripts

This is information about the holdings of books and materials in Special Collections..

About these collections

As part of the department’s service to the university, Special Collection preserves and promotes the written work of members of the faculty and staff, including emeriti.  Since the department must rely on the faculty and staff voluntarily reporting the publications of new materials, it is unfortunately an incomplete collection.  Certain significant authors have their own collections.

  • Materials include not only published books but also visual mediums and offprints of articles.
  • Frederick Bunce, professor of art, explored the boundaries between erotica and pornography in his research.  His collection stretches all the way back to the seventeenth century.  
  • Edward Gates, professor of English, ran the lexicography program here at the university and did his own research into linguistics.
  • Douglas Herrmann, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, developed and donated a collection on human memory that numbers almost a thousand titles. 
  • Duane Klueh played basketball for Indiana State Teachers College in the 40s before he joined professional basketball.  He returned to coach at ISU for many years.  His collection is entirely digital and composed of scrapbooks accumulated over the decades.
  • John Wooden coached the basketball team of Indiana State Teachers College and led it to a national championship before starting on his famous career at UCLA. 
  • There are also manuscript collections of unpublished materials for ISU faculty and staff, including Richard Gemmecke and Richard Schneirov.

Ideas on exploration

Special Collections provides multiple avenues for the exploration of these collections.  Not all of them can be reached through the main library database or the Shadows of the Wabash collection of digital resources.  We are constantly working to expand your means of gaining access.  For this collection:

  • Under the Books, Journals and More tab on the library homepage. You can include the term "Faculty Collection” in your searches of the main database.
  • Under the Books, Journals and More tab on the library homepage, select Advanced Search.  You can limit searches to ‘Special Collections,’ which will allow you to find materials in our department.  You can add the term “Faculty Collection” in your search parameters which will narrow it down even more.
  • The Duane Klueh Family Collection can be found in the department’s digital depository, Shadows of the Wabash.
  • Special Collections staff can be contacted through e-mail, phone, or LibChat to assist with research and make appointments to use the collection.

Reading Room

Ready to see this collection for yourself? You can come to visit us on the 3rd floor of the library, call us at 237-2610,

or e-mail us at Special-Collections@indstate.edu.

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