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The Special Collections Department of the Cunningham Memorial Library holds the University's unique physical and digital collections. Special Collections consists of three units: Rare Books & Manuscripts, University Archives, and the Permanent Art Collect

Cunningham Memorial Library Special Collections

Welcome to Special Collections

The Special Collections Department of the Cunningham Memorial Library holds the University's unique physical and digital collections. Special Collections consists of three units: Rare Books & Manuscripts, University Archives, and the Permanent Art Collection. These three units hold, preserve, and make accessible the University's history, local history collections, art, the world-famous Cordell Dictionary Collection, and Rare Book collections on a variety of subjects. Please choose a Special Collections area below to browse or request access to these extraordinary resources.

University Archives


The University Archives is the designated repository for historical, legal, or administrative material. We collect, preserve, and make accessible a wide variety of materials ranging from ISU's foundation in 1865 to the present. 

To request or schedule access,

please email ISU-SpecialCollections@indstate.edu or call 812-237-2610

Rare Books


The university's Rare Books collection features the Cordell
Collection of pre-20th Century dictionaries illustrating English language
development, the Debs Collection with works by Eugene V. Debs, a founding
figure of the International Labor Union, and the Herrmann Collection
focusing on human memory study materials.

To request or schedule access,

please email ISU-SpecialCollections@indstate.edu or call 812-237-2610

Permanent Art Collection


Containing approximately 4,000 works of art, the Permanent Art Collection is available to classes and the public anytime through a searchable online database or in person upon request.

To request or schedule access,

please email ISU-SpecialCollections@indstate.edu or call 812-237-2534

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