Special Collections & Archives

What makes Special Collections & Archives so special?

We differ from other library departments in that our materials are extremely rare (often unique) and irreplaceable. But like other library departments, we welcome all users - students, staff, faculty, genealogists, independent researchers, and the curious - to explore our collections.

We serve a number of different functions.

• We are a Wisconsin Historical Society Area Research Center (ARC). We hold local government records and manuscripts pertaining to the following counties:
• Buffalo
• Chippewa
• Clark
• Eau Claire
• Rusk
• Taylor
• We house the archives of the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire and its predecessor institutions. We perform records management functions for the University and maintain a collection of official and unofficial university records, such as:
• Administrative records
• Faculty papers
• Student & alumni papers and scrapbooks
• Yearbooks, campus newspapers, and other university publications
• We collect local history publications, including:
• City directories
• Church and organizational histories
• County and city histories
• Genealogical reference books.
• We hold a rare book collection, which is especially strong in first edition British and American fiction.
• We create special exhibits and archive photographs of the university and its community. Some have been digitized in the University Photo Album.
• We collect a variety of maps covering our six county region: Sanborn Insurance maps and plat maps comprise the bulk of the collection.

We are located in L5022 and look forward to assisting you with your research needs.