Archives & Special Collections

Yes. Anyone can use the materials at the University of Mississippi’s Department of Archives and Special Collections. Researchers must show a valid picture ID card and complete a researcher registration form.

You’re welcome to visit in person to do research. Materials can’t be checked out, but photocopying is allowed unless restricted by the collection.

For research questions, you can call (662-915-1595) or email us (archivesdept@olemiss.edu). Please note that due to limited staff, we can only provide up to 30 minutes of research for off-site patrons.

Because we are a reference library and our materials do not circulate, we do not participate in the inter-library loan program.

We have copies of the Ole Miss yearbooks dating back to 1897 when the first one appeared. They are available in our reading room for consultation.

The Archives and Special Collections maintains bound copies of the student newspaper The Daily Mississippian. Due to their fragile nature we ask that patrons use the microfilm copies available on the first floor of the library in media/microforms.

We maintain copies of the budgets from previous years. A copy of the current budget year is on reserve at the main library’s Reference Desk.

Most of the complete census records are held in the department of Government Documents in the main library, but Special Collections does have indexed copies of mostly nineteenth-century census records. These were indexed by genealogists and are not the originals. For a complete listing please consult our online catalog.

If time permits, we will conduct tours and workshops tailored to the interest of particular groups. Due to our small staff size we have limited our workshops to two a week. Please call in advance in order to see about the possibility of scheduling a tour. As we are a research facility we are unable to accommodate children’s groups under the age of ten

Special Collections has a strong collection of photographs and film relating to Mississippi. Prints can be made for patrons if they are out of copyright or the researcher has the permission of the copyright holder. It takes from two to four weeks to receive requested photographic copies.

To obtain a copy of a service record, please contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has the National Archives microfilm of the compiled service records of soldiers serving in Mississippi units, both Confederate and Union. They also have many Confederate pension applications filed by veterans and their widows living in Mississippi after the war.

We do have selected unit histories in Special Collection. To learn more about our holdings, please consult our library’s online catalog.

Special Collections has selected issues of some Mississippi newspapers, but most of these are available through microfilm in the main library. Due to the fragility of these newspapers Special Collections asks patrons to make sure the newspaper they need is not on microfilm before consulting the original newspapers. No photocopies of nineteenth-century newspapers are possible. Unfortunately our newspapers are not indexed.

We have a large collection of maps going back to the late seventeenth century. Maps in the collection may not be photocopied, but arrangements can be made for other means of reproduction. Contact Special Collections for more information.

A set of five color maps of Mississippi — 1816, 1822, 1842, 1852, and 1873 — reproduced by the Mississippi Historical Society may be purchased from the Old Capitol Shop. Tel (601) 576-6921.

The Mississippi Highway Department sells copies of current county highway maps. Write to Map Sales Division, Mississippi Highway Department, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215-1850.

The Mississippi Geological Survey sells copies of quadrangle or topographical maps. Write to: Mississippi Geological Survey, P.O. Box 20307, Jackson, MS 39289-1307. Tel (601) 961-5523.

The department contains student records from the founding of the university through the early 1920s. The other source we use for the early history of the university is The Historical Catalogue of the University of Mississippi, 1849-1909. For students attending the university after 1929, researchers should contact the Registrar’s Office or the Alumni Association.

We do not sell books from the collection. We do sell exhibition catalogues of various Special Collections exhibits.

The Department of Archives and Special Collections does not provide this service. However the Library of Congress suggests finding a professional appraiser through the website of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America which features a Collector’s Corner, advanced book searching capabilities, and a membership directory of appraisers indexed by subject and geographical area. You can also search for books on the website of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers , as well as obtain information about related events and the market for rare books. Auction catalogs are also an indispensable resource. Other sources of information are listed on the website of the Smithsonian Institution which includes a bibliography, professional contacts, and suggestions for selling valuable objects.

For more information on the preservation and storage of fragile materials, please consult the Library of Congress’ Preservation Department. The National Film Preservation Board maintains a site on the preservation of film. The National Archives maintains a site on the preservation of photographs.

Special Collections welcomes potential donors to contact our department. We collect items relating to Mississippi and the American South in format ranging from books, family papers, correspondence, blues recordings, Mississippi-related films, and other materials relating to the state. Please contact our main office line at (662)-915-1595 or send an e-mail at archivesdept@olemiss.edu.

The Department of Special Collections does not usually accept artifacts but instead refers donors of artifacts to the University Museum.

The Family Research Association of Mississippi is the statewide genealogical organization. Many counties also have genealogical or local history societies. For more information please the Mississippi Department of Archives and History list. The Skipwith Society is the local Lafayette County history society.