Georgia State University Library’s Special Collections and Archives collects and preserves unique and rare historical materials in selected subject areas. The department promotes the use of these materials by the Georgia State University community, scholars and the public. Its goal is to advance scholarship and to further the educational, research and service missions of the university.

The collection focus is on records of organizations or papers of individuals documenting the twentieth and twentyfirst century American South. Subject strengths include the heritage of workers and their unions in the South and elsewhere, American popular music and culture, efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the second wave of the women’s movement, women-centered and LGBTQ activist and advocacy activities in Georgia and the Southeast, and other social movements, especially in Georgia. The department also houses the Georgia State University Archives, consisting of records of University offices, deliberative bodies, and organizations, as well as resources on GSU history.

In addition to manuscripts and organizational records, many of the collections contain visual resources, sound recordings, and moving images. Special Collections and Archives houses millions of historical photographs documenting twentieth-century Atlanta and Georgia. Active oral history programs are a feature of many of the collections.

The University Library, Atlanta campus location, provides one of the most attractive, open, and inviting educational facilities in the Southeast. With over 1.3 million visitors in the past year, the Library is an integral part of the University community. The Library is engaged with the campus community, offering a modern, inviting, and centralized facility supporting both teaching and research with expansive collections and outstanding assistance. Its signature link, a multilevel glass structure that overlooks downtown Atlanta, connects the Library’s two prominent buildings. CURVE (http://curve.gsu.edu) brings together students and expert researchers from all disciplines in a shared, hands-on, interactive space featuring cutting-edge hardware and software for data visualization and analysis. For additional information about the Georgia State University Library, visit http://library.gsu.edu.