Special Collections and Archives

Our major goal in Special Collections is to acquire, preserve, and make available to researchers, historical materials of enduring value reflecting the history of Texas, Mexico, the U.S. - Mexico War, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the cartography of the Greater Southwest. 

Unique collections include:

For more, see our Featured Collections.

Location and Hours

Central Library (map), 6th Floor

The most convenient parking for visitors is in the Maverick Parking Garage. For more information, please see UTA Visitor Parking.

Services

  • Reference Services. We assist users in locating, accessing, and utilizing unique and rare materials. No appointment is required, but contacting ahead of time is encouraged, as some collections are stored off-site and require at least 48 business hours to retrieve.
  • UTA Faculty Resources. We give course-related tours and instruction sessions about conducting research. To schedule a tour or class, contact:
  • Image Reproduction Services. We offer mediated image reproduction services to students, faculty, staff, and the public. Please see Image Reproduction.
  • KIC Scanning and Photocopy Services. We offer mediated overhead scanning and photocopy service for some materials. See photocopy policy and details and pricing.

Many items housed in Special Collections are rare and irreplaceable. Please be careful when Using and Handling Special Collections Materials.

News and Events

The Compass Rose

The purpose of the Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources, foster the use of these resources, and report significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions. 

Earth Day celebrations have taken place across the nation every April since 1970. These annual events have sparked environmental activism across North Texas in many ways.

Photo Collections Coordinator, Sara Pezzoni, attempts two recipes from Lucille Bishop Smith's recipe box

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

Archivist, Madeline Lowry, attempts to recreate a Jerry Jones recipe from The 1991 Dallas Cowboys Wives' Cookbook.

Current Exhibit

Earth Day Mini Exhibit 2025
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Mini Exhibit On Display. April 1st - April 30th. 6th Floor Center Library

Central Library, 6th Floor

Searching Our Collections

Use the following resources to begin your search of our collections:

  • Finding Aids – Browse detailed inventories and guides to primary source materials in archival collections. Special Collections’ finding aids are hosted on ArchivesSpace. 
  • Library Catalog – Search for books, maps, journals, microfilm, newspapers, archival collections, and other material held in Special Collections. 
  • Digital Gallery – View over 76,000 digitized images from various collections located in Special Collections. Learn more about how to search the Digital Gallery here. 
  • Digital Archive - The UTA Libraries Digital Archive preserves and provides access to born-digital materials held by the UTA Libraries Special Collections. 
  • Archived Websites – Browse and view preserved websites related to the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas labor organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Texas history. Archived websites are accessible through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. Learn more about how to search the UTA Web Archives here.

Special Collections Staff

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Coordinator II – Reference Services Manager

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Metadata Librarian

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Special Collections Archivist

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Garrett Family Cartographic Archivist

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Director for Special Collections & Archives

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University Archivist

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Processing Archivist

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Archives Unit Manager and Digital Archivist

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Outreach and Instruction Archivist

Academic Subjects: History

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Associate University Librarian