The Zach S. Henderson Library’s Special Collections was founded in the 1970s. Housed within the department are rare books, manuscript collections, published materials, and ephemera related to the history of Georgia Southern University's Statesboro campus and the local Statesboro region. Special Collections has materials documenting the Civil War, World War II, southern railroads, early businesses, and local genealogy.
Since 2018, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections has been a part of the Library's Research Services Department.
The Special Collections Reading Room is located in Room 2224. This is located on the second-floor of Zach S. Henderson Library on the westward side of the floor, nearest to the Carroll Building. The Reading Room is where researchers are provided access to Special Collections materials. Researchers must make an appointment ahead of time and follow strict guidelines for handling and using materials to ensure the integrity of the collections. This room can also be used to accommodate small groups and classes.
The Special Collections Processing Room is located in the 1212 suite. This area is located on the first-floor of Zach S. Henderson on the westward side of the floor, nearest to the Carroll Building. This is the main processing suite and is where Special Collections staff including the Special Collections Librarian, Project Archivist, Special Collections assistant, graduate assistants, student assistants, and interns handle the arrangement and processing of physical and digital collections. Most of the materials housed in this area are not available to researchers.
The Automated Retrieval Collection (ARC) is located behind the Access Services desk on the second-floor of Zach S. Henderson Library. The ARC is a semi off-site storage area where processed Special Collections materials are housed until they are needed by staff or researchers. Only trained Special Collections staff are allowed to retrieve and store Special Collections in the ARC.
Other items including circulating library collections are housed in the ARC as well. This area will often have Access and Systems staff retrieving and storing non-Special Collections materials.
Digitized and digitally-born Special Collections materials are housed on Georgia Southern Commons.
This is the University's open-access digital repository that collects, archives, and disseminates the intellectual and creative output of the University’s faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Georgia Southern Commons hosts contributions from across the campus and the community, including campus documents and publications, faculty and student research, conferences, journals, research data, news, and more
Materials that document the history of Georgia Southern University on the Statesboro campus and the University community. Materials include a variety of physical and digital formats including:
Special Collections also collects the published work of University faculty who are currently employed at the University, retired, or emeritus. Materials collected include materials authored or edited by faculty, chapters or essays written by faculty in materials authored by other writers, or materials with introductions or afterward authored by faculty.
Special Collections houses the archival copy of all theses and dissertations written from 1964 on the Statesboro campus. Digitized and Electronic Theses & Dissertations are now archived in Georgia Southern Commons at digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd.
Materials related to southeast Georgia, including the Counties of Bulloch, Screven, Liberty, Candler, Tattnall, and Effingham. Print and digital materials include
Printed books, serials, and other media relative to the geographic area and/or works published or printed by local presses are also included in order to provide historical documentation for scholars in a variety of subject areas on local history and culture.
Rare Book collection includes those materials that, because of subject coverage, rarity, source, condition, or form, are best handled separately from the General Collection. These are Georgia Southern University's oldest and most rare materials. Broad in scope, materials include works across many subject areas including classical literature, religious texts, and languages. Materials are dated from 1450 to the early nineteenth century.
