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Special Collections and Archives

 Manuscript, Book, and Periodical Collections

Manuscript, Book, and Periodical Collections | University Archives

  • Archives of the New Dominion -- This project was begun in 2005 to locate, secure and make accessible the paper history and archives of Central Virginia's African-American, gay and lesbian, Hispanic, and women's activist communities. The project builds on past Special Collections and Archives' initiatives.
  • Architectural Resources in Special Collections and Archives -- Some of the most architecturally significant buildings of 19th and 20th century Richmond, Virginia are located on, or adjacent to, the campuses of Virginia Commonwealth University. Richmond's architectural history is a growing area of collection for Special Collections and Archives. A major focus of this collection is documenting the architecture of what is known today as the Fan District, which includes VCU's Monroe Park Campus.
  • Comic Arts -- Special Collections and Archives houses materials related to the comic arts including comic books, newspaper comic strips, manuscripts collections, and a large collection of reference books and periodicals.
  • Richmond Area Development Archives -- Established in 1987, the Richmond Area Development Archives (RADA) is a unique collection of primary source materials documenting the post-World War II growth of the Richmond metropolitan area. Subjects include urban planning, suburbanization, attempts to revitalize downtown, housing, transportation, communication, politics, labor, education and the cultural life of the region.
  • The Virginia Black History Archives project is intended to help document the history of African American organizations and individuals in Virginia. Collections include published and unpublished materials -- many of which are stored digitally along with others that are housed in Special Collections and Archives. This resource also contains links to sites that cover the spectrum of African American life and history.
  • Virginia Literary Collections -- The Virginia Literary Collection includes published and unpublished manuscripts, printed materials, and other materials by or about Virginia authors and literary scholars including James Branch Cabell (1879-1958), Dennis Danvers (1947-), Cathryn Hankla (1958-), M. Thomas Inge (1936-), Edgar MacDonald (1919-), and Tom Robbins (1936-). The collection also includes the archives of organizations such as the Virginia Writers Club and the New Virginia Review.
  • The Women Activists of Virginia Collection includes the manuscripts of organizations and individuals significant to the history of women's rights in Richmond and Virginia. The papers of suffragist Adele Clark, and the archives of the Richmond YWCA and the Virginia League of Women Voters are among these collections.
  • Virginia Heritage Project: Guides to Manuscript and Archival Collections in Virginia. Access the growing union database of EAD (Encoded Archival Description) tagged finding aids (or guides) to archival collections in Virginia. Currently, over 100 of Special Collections and Archives' manuscript collections are part of this database. These collections are available online.
  • Book Art Collection -- Includes over 3,000 items and encompasses all aspects of contemporary book art publications ranging from photo-narratives to three-dimensional book works.
  • Other large book collections that make up Special Collections and Archives include: the Samuel Johnson-James Boswell Collection; the personal library (3,000 items) of James Branch Cabell; books and periodicals on Richmond and Virginia history and culture; Richmond imprints; fantasy and science fiction novels; and a number of smaller collections ranging from books by Edward Gorey and Aleister Crowley to Flip and Pop-Up books.
  • The library's Secured Area Materials Collection is also housed in Special Collections and Archives. This collection contains primarily art and photography titles and complete runs of LIFE magazine, and several other journals. Thesis and dissertations are also housed in the department as well as a number of Richmond periodicals including Style Weekly Magazine, The Richmond Free Press, The Richmond Mercury, The Richmond Music Journal, Richmond Magazine, and many other smaller and alternative Richmond publications.

Manuscript, Book, and Periodical Collections |University Archives