The Special Collections Department is the general designation for rare books, general manuscripts, and special collections which belong to the University of Pittsburgh. Established in 1966, the collections consists of over 52,000 physical volumes, 560 linear feet of manuscripts and archives, 13,000 photographs, 500,000 theatre programs, and various slides, microfilms, posters, recordings, ephemera, and memorabilia. Materials collected by the Special Collections Department are housed in both Hillman Library and the Library Collections Storage Unit (LCSU) in Point Breeze.

Given the variety of collecting areas, the language is not limited to English and may include French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Latin. Geographically, the collection range varies within different subject areas and may include New York and western Pennsylvania with an emphasis on Pittsburgh for theatre material; Germany and the United States for the Philosophy works; and the rare book collection may contain material from East Asian, Latin American, Western and Eastern European, and British countries as well as the United States. The diversity in collecting regions reflects the Special Collections Department’s commitment to support the wide-ranging teaching strengths of the University. Chronologically, Special Collections seeks materials dating from the earliest written word to the present that reflect the collection strengths.

Search Collection Guides

Collection guides, or finding aids, are available to search in electronic format for most of the holdings in Special Collections, including many collections held by the ULS Archives Service Center.