Special Collections Research Center
Special Collections Research Center
Finding Materials in the SCRC
Our dream is to one day provide access through one search engine to all of our collections. That day is not here yet, so we are providing you this guide in hopes of easing your way. We have a variety of tools described below. Don't forget that you also may come into the SCRC in person and consult with the staff member on duty for guidance. Here are the places to look:
| Manuscripts | Check the SCRC Collections Database and the Library Catalog. Additionally, check the Virginia Heritage Project for keyword searching of about 1/5 of our manuscript collection finding aids. For manuscripts Swem has owned for many years, you might also check the Manuscripts card catalog on-site at the SCRC. |
| University Archives | Check the SCRC Collections Database and the University Archives Online Card Catalog. |
| Rare Books | Check the Library Catalog. |
| Dissertations and Theses | Check the Library Catalog. Starting with 2008 submissions, they also are available in W&M DSpace. |
| The Flat Hat | Check the Flat Hat Online and also the FH-AG-WMN card catalog on-site in the SCRC. Recent issues are available in W&M DSpace. |
| Alumni Gazette and W&M News | Check the FH-AG-WMN card catalog on-site in the SCRC. |
| Photographs and Prints | If University-related, check the SCRC Collections Database and the University Archives Online Card Catalog. If not University-related, check the SCRC Collections Database and the Visual Arts card catalog on-site in the SCRC. |
| Maps | Check the Maps card catalog on-site in the SCRC. |
| Newspapers | Check the Library Catalog. |
The most comprehensive access to Manuscript Collections and University Archives collections in the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is primarily through this database launched in summer 2007. Descriptions ranging from brief records through complete finding aids are available for most collections in the SCRC.
Begun in spring 2008, W&M's digital repository holds student publications and recent honors theses. Other digital material, including student films and faculty research, will be added in coming months.
University Archives Online Card Catalog
The SCRC Collections Database is the first place to go for access to University Archives and has the most up-to-date information about collections. The University Archives Online Card Catalog--digitized from the original in the SCRC--sometimes provides more detailed access to particular people or subjects and should also be checked. The card catalog notes where information can be found within the various University Archives collections and groups of records.
Swem Library's online catalog includes descriptions of processed manuscripts, rare books, and newspapers. William and Mary doctoral dissertations, master's theses, and senior honors theses as well as other selected University Archives materials are also indexed in the online catalog with additional collections added on an ongoing basis.
To find items in Swem's Rare Books, go to the "Advanced Search" feature, select Swem Library as the library, and select "Rare Books" as the item type. To find items in Swem's Manuscript Collections, go to the "Advanced Search" feature, select Swem Library as the library, and select "Manuscripts" as the item type.
A database allowing users to browse and conduct keyword searches of issues of the student newspaper The Flat Hat is available online. All issues from September 1939 through May 1950 as well as most issues from August 2004 through February 2007 are available for browsing and keyword searching. The remaining issues of The Flat Hat from 1911 through April 1990 and August 1992 through March 1999 are available for browsing. The missing issues which were not previously microfilmed and thereby not digitized in 2007 will be added in the coming months. The ability to search all digitized issues will also be added in the coming months. The Flat Hat is a rich source of information, announcing events taking place on campus as well as reflecting student opinion. It began publication in October 1911 and, except during the fall of 1918, has been continuously published ever since.
Flat Hat-Alumni Gazette-William and Mary News Card Catalog
Until a few years ago, Archives staff indexed The Flat Hat as well as the Alumni Gazette and the William and Mary News by subject and by personal name. This index is available as a card file in the SCRC. All three of these publications are available on microfilm, except for the most recent years. The Flat Hat is also available online, as noted above.
The SCRC has other card catalogs available on-site, including a map catalog, a visual arts catalog, and a catalog indexing manuscripts Swem has owned for many years. The Tucker-Coleman collection has its own card catalog.
The Virginia Heritage Database, created by the Virginia Heritage Project Task Force of the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) and funded in part by a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a union database of finding aids to archival collections in Virginia. Currently, over twenty institutions, including the College of William and Mary, are contributing to the database. The contents of the database represent only a small percentage of each institution's holdings. Follow the link to see a list of the participants and to find out more about the Virginia Heritage Project. William and Mary's holdings in this database include most of our collections with African-American resources.
The SCRC has entered the 21st century! See: