The North Carolina Collection is the largest collection of traditional library materials documenting a single state. It is part of the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. The origins of the collection began in 1844 with the creation of the North Carolina Historical Society. The collection formally came into existence after a donation from

John Sprunt Hill John Sprunt Hill (March 17, 1869 – July 29, 1961) was a North Carolina lawyer, banker and philanthropist who played a fundamental role in the civic and social development of Durham, North Carolina, the expansion of the University of North Ca ...

in 1930 totaling $25,000. The collection includes The

Thomas Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an American novelist of the early 20th century. Wolfe wrote four lengthy novels as well as many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly origin ...

Collection and The

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

Collection.

History

In 1844, University President

David Lowry Swain David Lowry Swain (January 4, 1801August 27, 1868) was the List of Governors of North Carolina, 26th Governor of North Carolina, governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 1832 to 1835. He was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; his ...

founded the North Carolina Historical Society in order to stimulate students' interest in history, but he also strove to collect every book, pamphlet, and newspaper in the state of North Carolina in existence. He called his collection the North Carolina Collection, and it was later inherited first by University President Kemp P. Battle and later by University Librarian

Louis Round Wilson Louis Round Wilson (December 27, 1876 – December 10, 1979) was an important figure to the field of library science, and is listed in “100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century,” an article in the December 1999 issue of ''Am ...

and philanthropist

in 1930. An earlier donation by Sprunt in 1917 paid for the collection's first curator, Mary Lindsay Thornton, and his later gift of the

Carolina Inn The Carolina Inn is a hotel listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Orange County, North Carolina, which opened in 1924. The Carolina Inn is a member of Historic Hotels ...

and uptown business properties allowed the North Carolina Collection to rely on trust funds instead of legislative appropriations for its funding.

Collecting scope

The collection's acquisition policy calls for collecting materials related to North Carolina. Its holdings include over 300,000 books and pamphlets, 6,000 printed maps, 50,000 reels of microfilm, 4,000,000 photographs, and 35,000 museum artifacts. The collection is divided into three areas: the Research Library, the Gallery, and the Photographic Archives. The Research Library's holdings contain items about the state of North Carolina from its earliest days to the present. The Gallery displays items from the North Carolina Collection and contains three historical rooms, each depicting a different part of North Carolina's past. The Photographic Archives documents the state of North Carolina through its estimated 4 million photographs, representing many types of photos, from daguerreotype to digital.

Gallery

The North Carolina Collection Gallery, located on the library's second floor, hosts exhibits that feature literature, photographs, and artifacts from the North Carolina Collection’s holdings including furnishings in three historic rooms. Gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public.

External links

Official Website

North Carolina Miscellany Blog

North Carolina Collection on LearnNC

Historical Collections on NCPedia

References

{{authority control University of North Carolina Archives in the United States Tourist attractions in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina