For more than 150 years, the University of Washington Libraries have been committed to providing an intellectual environment that enhances discovery and supports research and learning. In addition, covering a broad range of topics, formats, and periods of time, the Libraries’ Special Collections serves as a major resource for rare and archived materials.
From rare books, periodicals, photographs, and architectural records to maps, moving images and much more, Special Collections acts as a treasury of historical materials and information. Students and the community can review these collections both online and in-person in the basement of Allen Library South, on the Seattle campus.
Collections include book arts and rare book collections, digital collections, historical visual materials, University of Washington archives, just to name a few. They also feature subject guides such as the Century 21 Exposition: The World’s Fair in Seattle, 1962 (where Archivalry discovered the artwork for our Space Needle Blueprint T-shirt), Conservation and the Environment in the Pacific Northwest, and GLBTQ Collections. In addition, the Special Collections staff mentors students, arranging directed fieldwork or independent studies.
As one library, connected across three campuses, UW Libraries provides a level of access to resources and services for the future. They’re realizing the promise of the 21st-century academic research library — encouraging the growth of knowledge “at any time and any place”. As their mission states, “the UW Libraries advances intellectual discovery and enriches the quality of life by connecting people with knowledge.”
We at Archivalry truly appreciate having such an information-rich resource available. It’s always a thrill to peruse the UW Libraries Special Collections and discover archived treasures from our community’s history.