Skip to Main Content

Primary Sources in Science and Technology in Special Collections

Finding Special Collections Materials

Printed collections

Published items held in Special Collections, such as books, journals, pamphlets, and broadsides, are searchable in DELCAT.  It is possible to limit your search to ONLY materials held in Special Collections by selecting the box next to "Special Collections" under the "Library" tab on the sidebar. Material from Special Collections will display the location information as "Special Collections Non-Circulating."

Screenshot of DELCAT menu with Special Collections selected from menu

For additional information on how to search Special Collections in DELCAT, such as how to limit or sort by date, please refer to the DELCAT LibGuide.

Manuscripts and archives

Manuscript and archival collections in Special Collections contain a range of materials--such as documents, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, business records, reports, ephemera, audio, video, and born-digital content--from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. The guides to these collections are called finding aids and they can be browsed and searched on the  Finding Aids for Archival Collections website.

Screenshot of Finding Aids for Archival Collections website homepage

For search tips and other help using the Finding Aids for Archival Collections site, please view the appropriate subpage of the Introduction to Special Collections Research Guide:

Not all finding aids or collection descriptions are online, so please contact Special Collections if you need help with your search.

Searching the collections

Searching for:

  • Rare Books
  • Artists' Books
  • Fine Press Books
  • other printed materials . . .

Use the Online Catalog called "DELCAT"

Searching for:

  • Manuscripts 
  • Archival materials . . .   

Use the Special Collections "Search Box" and search "Finding Aids"