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Introduction to Archival Research at MSU Libraries

This guide has been designed to help researchers locate and access Archives & Special Collections materials at Mississippi State University Libraries.

Overview

Mississippi State University Libraries is committed to supporting the University's overall mission of teaching, research, and service by ensuring that we provide our patrons with the resources and support that they need. The areas that make up the Archives & Special Collections Department specialize in collecting, organizing, and preserving historical resources such as archival records, manuscript collections, rare books, and other rare, one-of-a-kind materials that serve to document the history of  the University, Mississippi, the Southeastern region, and beyond. Materials heavily represented in our collections include: artifacts, architectural drawings, A/V materials, correspondence, diaries, ephemera, maps, memorabilia, newspapers, and publications.

Image at left: The Archives & Special Collections area, located on the third floor of Mitchell Memorial Library.
Image at right: The entryway to the Congressional and Political Research Center, the Frank and Virginia Williams Collections of Lincolniana, and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and Museum. Our reading room is located in this area.

Archives & Special Collections Operational Procedures

The Department of Archives & Special Collections is open by appointment Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are closed from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. All patrons will be directed to the reading room located in the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library on the fourth floor of Mitchell Memorial Library. Appointments must be made two business days before your desired appointment time to ensure there is time to pull materials. A limit of two researchers is permitted at each appointment block.

Our appointment blocks are as follows:
8:00-9:30 am
10:00-11:30 am
1:00-2:30 pm
3:00-4:30 pm

To reserve time in our reading room, please contact sp_coll@library.msstate.edu.