American history: Civil War

Statement of Programs and Library Needs:

Special Collections collects widely in American history. The principal areas of concentration, however, are Southwestern Virginia (see policy for Southwest Virginia Collection), the American Civil War, and Culinary Arts.

The Civil War Collection has the Elden E. "Josh" Billings Collection as its nucleus. Since 1996 generous support of the George R. Wallace Foundation has greatly enhanced both the rare book and manuscript collections.

The printed collection on Abraham Lincoln is as comprehensive as possible. Most of the 500 titles are from the Billings Collection, which includes not only printed works, but also art, artifacts, and ephemera. The costs of Lincoln manuscripts preclude collection in this area.

Because the field of American history is so broad, and the narrow areas of interest represented on the Virginia Tech campus are so numerous, Special Collections tries to maintain a balanced approach in purchases. As a consequence, except in the areas of Southwest Virginia, the American Civil War, and Culinary Arts, the department does not usually collect secondary sources or reference works.

As with all other areas of collecting in Special Collections, the assignment of a conspectus level must take into consideration the holdings of the rest of the library.

I. COLLECTION AREAS

A. Area: American Civil War

B. Classes and Levels

E 423,433,438-453	Slavery question	Research
E 456-459	Abraham Lincoln	Research
E 461-655	Civil War	Research
E 660-738	Late 19th century (in so far as there are Civil War reminiscences, etc.)	Research
M and P	Civil War music and literature,including 20th-century works which involve Abraham Lincoln or use the Civil War as a setting	Research
TX	Culinary Arts	Study

  C. Chronology

19th-20th century.

D. Geographic Guidelines

Primarily United States, mostly Southwest Virginia

E. Languages

Primarily English.

F. Treatment

Monographs, reference works, manuscripts, photographs, ephemera, and periodicals are collected, both current and retrospective imprints.

G. Formats

Both printed and digital materials, photographs/images, manuscripts, ephemera, art, and objects.

H. Multiple Copies

Though there is little duplication within Special Collections, there is duplication between titles in Special Collections and on the main library shelves. This is necessary because of the heavy demand for these titles. Duplicate copies are collected when there are distinguishing marks in both copies or when condition dictates a copy for use and a copy(s) for preservation.

II. ACQUISITIONS STRATEGY

Acquisitions are equally divided between purchase and gift. Gifts are welcome in these areas, particularly manuscripts (letters, diaries, and the like), photographs, and first editions of published works. Purchases are made whenever funds permit.

III. COLLECTION NOTES

This collection is heavily used both by students and by the general public. The Civil War collection in Special Collections is among the best in the nation because of its balanced perspective (i.e., Union and Confederate materials).