Special Collections

Framed maps with labels hung on the wall as in a gallery

Special Collections at UTA Libraries was founded in 1974 as the Special Collections Division, the direct result of a gift by Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins Garrett of Fort Worth, Texas.

Learn more About Special Collections

inside Special Collections with partial view of an exhibit

Services

Retro Remix exhibit: Archives-Inspired Student Art

Current Exhibit:
Retro Remix: Archives-Inspired Student Art

scholars having a discussion next to glassed in bookcases

Planning Your Visit to Special Collections

Stories

April 23 2024

What Did They Create? Student Art Contest Winners

In 2023, UTA Special Collections opened our archives up to inspire... how did it go?

March 29 2024

Special Collections in 2024: 1st Quarterly Review

A look back at highlights from the last quarter of activity in Special Collections

March 27 2024

It’s Preservation Time in Texas!

UTA Special Collections is excited to announce that the Texas Rangers World Series Collection is now accessible on the Digital Archive!

January 8 2024

Staff Spotlight: Rachel Clark

Making history accessible is how Rachel Clark describes her job at UTA Libraries. Rachel joined the Special Collections Department staff in November as one of its newest metadata librarians.

Collections

United Livestock Handlers preparing for a packinghouse strike in 1946

Texas Labor Archives

The Texas Labor Archives contain material from hundreds of union locals and labor councils, statewide labor organizations, union political groups, district and regional offices of international unions, and legal firms specializing in labor law, as well as the personal papers of union officials.

Texas Political History Collection

These collections concentrate on political officials from North and Central Texas. They include papers of Texas office holders, a series of interviews by Dr. Allan Saxe with prominent Arlington politicians, and interviews conducted by Dr. José Gutiérrez focusing on Mexican-American leaders in Texas.

upclose image of Map of Mexico in Special Collections

Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library

The Garrett Library includes thousands of maps and atlases, 1493 to present, specializing in maps relating to Texas, Mexico, the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Africa.