Special Collections collect, preserve, and promote the use of rare books, primary research materials and manuscripts.  They are available for use by Ohio State University faculty and students as well as visiting scholars and the general public.  Hours vary.  Please visit each site for locations, hours, and contact information, as well as online finding aids and other guides to the collections.

Byrd Polar Archives     |     Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum    
William Charvat Collection of American Fiction     |     Hilandar Research Library    
Historic Costume and Textiles Collection     |     Medical Heritage Center
Ohio Congressional Archives      |     Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute     |     University Archives

Need an appraisal? See: List of appraisers for rare materials and archival collections

Byrd Polar Archives

The Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program (BPRCAP) collects, preserves,and provides access to historical documents concerned with polar regions. The goal of the BPRCAP is to make rare or unique historical material about polar exploration and scientific investigation available for use in the context of an active polar research environment. Historical collections contain papers, records, photographs and other forms of documentation concerning explorers, scientists and other figures and organizations prominent in the advancement of knowledge about polar environments.


Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

The primary mission of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is to develop a comprehensive research collection documenting American printed cartoon art, to organize the materials, and to provide access to these resources. The scope of the collection includes: editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and magazine cartoons. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility of this type documenting printed cartoon art in the nation.


William Charvat Collection of American Fiction

The William Charvat Collection of American Fiction is the strongest research book collection at OSUL and among the strongest of its kind in the nation. Beginning with late eighteenth-century American fiction and continuing through contemporary American fiction, the Charvat Collection numbers over 60,000 volumes. The Charvat Collection also includes literary archives of such writers as Nelson Algren, Louis Bromfield, William S. Burroughs, Frederick Busch, Raymond Carver, Tess Gallagher, Karen Harper, William Bradford Huie, James Purdy, William T. Vollmann, as well as the archives of the literary journal Conjunctions.


Hilandar Research Library

The Hilandar Research Library houses the largest collection of medieval Slavic manuscripts on microform in the world. Scholars from all over the world use more than 1 million pages of microfilmed manuscript material from more than 90 different monastic, private, museum and library collections in 21 countries. The collection includes more than 4,500 Cyrillic microfilmed manuscripts, with over 1,200 from different monasteries on Mount Athos, Greece, including the entire Slavic collection of Hilandar Monastery, in addition to thousands of pages of microfilmed East Slavic manuscripts from Russia and a collection of more than 700 early Slavic printed books on microform.


Historic Costume and Textiles Collection

The Historic Costume and Textiles Collection is a scholarly and artistic resource of apparel and textile material culture, jointly administered by the College of Education and Human Ecology and the OSU Libraries. The 11,500+ holdings encompass a range of three dimensional objects such as textiles and articles of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, including national dress costume, from the mid-18th century to contemporary 21st century designers. The Collection also houses a number of period fashion magazines, fashion plates, swatch books and commercial patterns. Our mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret textile and apparel material culture. Particular strengths of the Collection are objects pertaining to central Ohio and the U.S. fashion industry.


Medical Heritage Center

The OSU Medical Heritage Center provides a repository for the collection, maintenance and preservation of historical records and artifacts pertaining to the medical heritage of Columbus and Central Ohio. The center�s holdings include rare books, archival collections and medical artifacts. The archive specializes in materials of prominent local health care providers, and health-related organizations of Central Ohio. Artifacts are retained by the Medical Heritage Center to exemplify the evolution of education and the practice of the health sciences. The Coleman Rare Books area contains over 8,000 volumes, including local medical history resources, reference materials, and health-related works of historical significance.

Ohio Congressional Archives

Established in 2004, the Ohio Congressional Archives is a collaborative effort of The Ohio State University Libraries and the John Glenn School of Public Affairs.  Its mission is to collect, preserve, and provide public access to collections of private papers and related materials compiled by or pertaining to members of the Ohio delegation to the United States Congress.  The goal of the Ohio Congressional Archives is to make available for research and educational use unique and historical materials documenting the workings and history of the U.S. Congress, the participation and contributions of Ohio members of the U.S. Congress, and the impact of the U.S. Congress on the history of the State of Ohio.



Rare Books and Manuscripts Library

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Library houses the traditional literary and historical collections of The Ohio State University Libraries and contains over 200,000 books and over 2,100 linear feet of manuscripts. Strengths of the collection include: 17th century English drama, Cervantes, Reformation History, children's science and the William Charvat Collection of American fiction, among the strongest collections of it's kind in the nation.

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute

Administered jointly by The Ohio State University Libraries and the Department of Theatre, the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute collects, preserves, maintains, and makes accessible research materials pertaining to performing arts. The Institute serves as an archive for performing artists and organizations including playwrights, designers, choreographers, performers, producing professional organizations, and theatre and dance companies. All of the Institute's activities are intended to encourage a broad range of research into performance.


University Archives

The mission of The University Archives is to serve as the official memory of the University. The Archives identifies, preserves, and makes available the documentation of continuing and historical value to the University. Available for research are not only the official minutes and records of most administrative offices and committees but also the papers of distinguished faculty and the records of many student organizations. The Photo Archives of the University Archives contains more than one million photographic images of university life from the 1870's to the present.