North Carolina State University Library: A History Preserved Through Collections
The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Library stands as a cornerstone of the university's academic mission, providing vital resources and support for teaching, learning, and research. Within this extensive system, the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) plays a pivotal role in preserving and providing access to unique, rare, and historical information. This article delves into the history and significant collections housed within the NCSU Library, with a particular focus on the SCRC.
The Genesis of the Special Collections Research Center
Established in 1993, the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) was formed by combining the newly-created manuscripts and rare books units with the long-standing University Archives. This strategic merger brought together a wealth of resources under a unified management structure, enhancing the library's ability to preserve and showcase its unique holdings.
Scope of the SCRC Collections
The SCRC boasts an impressive collection of over 15,000 linear feet of original materials. These materials encompass a wide array of subjects, reflecting the university's academic strengths and research interests. The collections hold broad strengths in the history of science, engineering and technology, natural resources, agriculture, the biological sciences, North Carolina State University (NCSU), textiles, veterinary medicine, design and architecture. The SCRC's collecting strategy targets disciplines that have emerged and come to maturity in the last half of the 20th century and continue to develop into the 21st. This emphasis on established and emerging areas of excellence at the university ensures that the SCRC's collections remain relevant and supportive of the university's evolving research priorities. The collections are managed comprehensively to create strategically aligned special, general, and digital collections with complementary strengths.
Signature Collections and Their Significance
Several signature special collections within the SCRC stand out for their depth and significance:
NCSU Plant Sciences Collection
The Plant Sciences Collection includes the papers of groundbreaking researchers in the interdisciplinary spectrum of the plant sciences-from ecology to biology to genetics and genomics.
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Modernist Architecture Collection
The foundations of the Modernist Architecture Collection consist of the papers of a number of faculty who founded the School of Architecture in 1948 and quickly developed an international reputation for innovation, experimentation, and modernist design. Collectively these holdings contain thousands of drawings and photographs and are rich resources for the study of 20th-century architecture, particularly the development of modernism.
Entomological Archive
The Entomological Archive is one of the most distinguished collections.
These collections are invaluable resources for researchers and scholars, providing unique insights into the history and development of these fields.
University Archives: A Chronicle of NCSU's History
The University Archives serves as the official repository for the university's legal, administrative, and historical records of enduring value. The Archives consists of primary source material created or collected by university offices throughout the history of the university, from the late 1800s to the present. These records document the university's evolution, policies, and activities, offering a comprehensive chronicle of NCSU's past. The Special Collections Research Center also collects materials about student activities, participation, and leadership, including documentation of NC State's Student Government, Greek life, and student organizations.
Accessing the Collections
The SCRC provides a dedicated Special Collections Reading Room, which serves as a study space and home for the library's collection of faculty publications. This space offers a conducive environment for researchers to engage with the unique materials housed within the SCRC. The Catalog (Books & Media) is experiencing intermittent outages. Please use campus WiFi or the VPN (if you're off campus) to access the catalog. The library is actively working to fix the problem.
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