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History of the Special Collections and Archives Division

Special Collections

Special Collections evolved from a small collection of rare books housed in the library director’s office to a closed shelf collection administered by the Language/Literature Library and ultimately to a separately administered department of the University Libraries.

In 1962, when the Rare Books department was formed, the book collections were moved to their present location on the west side of the 4th floor of Ellis Library. The majority of the Libraries’ microforms were also moved to the division. The department was named Special Collections in 1977.

The growth of the Rare Book Collection in the second half of the 20th century is due largely to the efforts of Art History and Archaeology Professor Homer Thomas and Library Science Professor Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt and the collections, in a large measure, reflect their interest. Professor Thomas, who was Chair of the University Faculty Library Committee for many years, traveled extensively in Europe and was able to acquire valuable titles in art history, archaeology and works of travel. Most of the Libraries’ collection of academy publications were acquired by Thomas. Professor Lehmann-Haupt’s first contact with MU Libraries was as a sales representative for H.P. Kraus. He joined the faculty of the School of Library and Informational Science in 1968 and served informally as rare book consultant to the Libraries until his retirement in 1981. Professor Lehmann-Haupt selected illustrated books from the sixteenth through nineteenth century.

The Friends of the University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries organization and individual members have also played an important role in collection development.

Many of the collections were gifts. The Thomas Moore Johnson Collection was a gift of the Johnson estate in 1947. The Frank Luther Mott Collection was given to the Libraries in 1945 by Mott heirs. Early textbooks and the University of Missouri Collection were acquired from several gift sources. The Comic Art Collection houses original art given to the libraries by cartoonists or their families: Mort Walker, V.T. Hamlin, Edgar Martin and John Tinney McCutcheon.

University Archives

The University of Missouri Archives was established in 1969 as a centralized program to protect and preserve the historical records of the University of Missouri System. From its creation until the program was decentralized at the end of 1991, the University Archivist at the Columbia campus (with the assistance from the Associate Archivists at each of the other campuses) administered the historical records of the University System's four campuses as well as those of the administration of the University System. The historical records of the four individual campuses were placed under local authority on December 31, 1991 and an autonomous campus archivist was appointed for each institution.

From its inception through 1979, the University Archives reported to the University System's Vice President for Administration and from 1979 through 1991 to the University System's Vice President for Academic Affairs. Following the Board of Curators' decision to localize responsibility for the Archives program, the University Archives at the Columbia campus was placed under the authority of Director of Libraries of the University of Missouri - Columbia, where it remains today. In June 2005 University Archives became part of the Division of Special Collections, Archives and Rare Books of the MU Libraries at the University of Missouri - Columbia.

The University of Missouri - Columbia Archives is authorized by the Board of Curators to collect and preserve the historical records of the University of Missouri - Columbia and the records of the University of Missouri System administration. The University Archives' primary responsibility is to preserve the official records of the institution it serves, but it also solicits and preserves private papers and organization records that support the history of the Institution and the University System.

Directors of the University of Missouri - Columbia Archives: 1969 - Present

  • Ralph Havener, 1969-1990
  • Nancy Lankford, (interim) 1990-1992
  • Martha Alexander 1992-1995
  • Patricia Timberlake, (interim) 1995-1996
  • Michael Holland, 1997-2016
  • Anselm Huelsbergen, 2016-

The Special Collections and Archives Division

In June 2005, University Archives became part of the Division of Special Collections, Archives and Rare Books of the MU Libraries at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Until 2021, the two departments maintained separate locations in Ellis Library and Lewis Hall. University Archives moved to the fourth floor of Ellis Library in November 2021, and both units currently use room 401 and room 406 as public service areas.