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Manuscript Collections | Rare Books | Photographs | Oral Histories
Manuscript Collections: The archives holds over 600 unique manuscript collections relating to Montana, and especially to western Montana. Subject strengths and areas of ongoing collection development include Montana state and national politicians, land use and environmental issues in Montana, Montana journalists and writers, and faculty and students of the University. A number of significant collections document western Montana businesses, Montana pioneers and early settlers, and Native American populations in Montana. Formats collected and represented include papers, ledgers, audio, film and video, blueprints, and a variety of photographic processes. Information about many of our collections is available through the Mansfield Library catalog and through the Northwest Digital Archives website. Contact us or see a staff member in Archives & Special Collections for assistance. Pamphlets & Ephemera | Regional and Historic Maps | University Archives Click here to view a list of collection examples. Rare Books: Our collection of rare books ranges in date from the Middle Ages to the present and covers a wide range of topics, from literature and history to the natural sciences. Our collections are strongest, however, in books documenting the history and culture of western Montana and related areas. Named collections include the following: The Montana Collection, our largest collection, includes books documenting early exploration in the region and important early territorial and state documents; The Phillips Collection, donated by Paul Chrisler Phillips, focuses on the fur trade and Native American history; The Whicker Collection includes works by Poe and Whitman as well as a small group of literary manuscripts; The Leslie Collection emphasizes typography and book design. You can search for Special Collections books in the Library’s catalog. Photographs: The archives has nearly 100,000 historic images, in a variety of formats, that date from the 1860s to the 2000s. The majority of the photographs document people, places and activities in Montana and especially western Montana, including the Missoula area and the University of Montana campus. Photocopies of many of these photographs are located in burgundy binders in cabinets outside Archives & Special Collections and are available for researchers to view any hour the library is open. Subject access to a portion of the photograph collection is provided through a card catalog located next to the cabinets. A number of photos from our collections have been scanned and made available online via the keyword searchable Archives Photo Collection.We have also placed reference quality scans of several of our collections online through our QuickView site. You may order copies of any image in the archives’ collection. Oral Histories: Since 1968, the Mansfield library has collected over 2,500 cassette tapes of oral history interviews. Interview subjects are mostly Western Montanans. Interview topics include the depression in Montana, the history of smokejumping, Montana’s feminists, and the history of The University of Montana. Most of the interview recordings and transcripts can be checked out and taken home. For help in finding these materials, ask at the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room service desk. Pamphlets & Ephemera: Archives & Special Collections houses many thousands of pamphlets, brochures, clippings and ephemeral items. The Montana Pamphlet Collection is the largest single segment, but there are also files on World Wars One and Two, politics, and a number of other subjects. The Small Press Collection consists of thousands of zines organized by title. Finding aids that list each folder of material in every pamphlet collection are available via the online Pamphlet Collection Finding Aids. Regional and Historic Maps: Located in the Archives & Special collections reading room on the 4th floor of the Mansfield Library, the Regional and Historic Map collection consists of state, federal and private agency maps of primarily Montana but also of the surrounding western region. This diverse collection covers dates from the early 19th century to the present-day. Map series include topographic maps, orthophotoquads, geologic and hydrologic maps, railroad and highway maps, National Forest and National Wilderness maps, Forest Health Protection Annual Aerial Detection Survey maps (pest maps), BLM surface and mineral management maps, and Sanborn Company fire insurance maps. The collection also contains various maps of early explorations of the American Northwest, territorial maps, plat maps and maps of a number of Montana cities. Visit the library guide for Maps for more information about specific map series and links to on-line maps. To view a sample of our maps online click here. |
