Rare Books & Manuscripts

The institution of printing and publication has not been historically uniform.  Some materials were published in unique ways  or are actually handwritten materials never meant to be preserved.  While most of the manuscripts in the department are affiliated with other collection subjects, some are preserved solely for their nature as manuscripts.

• There is a collection of incunabula, a Latin word meaning ‘from the cradle’ and represents printed materials from the first few decades after the emergence of the European printing press in the latter half of the fifteenth century.
• This area includes serials and journals printed in opposition to mainstream publishing.
• Some include the collected works and correspondence of significant families, like the Turman Papers. 
• There are also varieties of singular items, ranging from letters of indentured servitude, to medical record books, to the letters of  ambassadors and empresses, to the writings of the Americana experience.

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 "mss” 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 “mss” in your search parameters which will narrow it down even more.
• Special Collections staff can be contacted through e-mail, phone, or LibChat to assist with research and make appointments to use the collection.

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.