Special Collections & Archives

Special Collections & Archives are open to the public by appointment. For your best research experience:

Before you visit -

• Questions? Ask a Librarian. If you want to discuss a research project contact Lisa Dunn (Staff Directory).
• Identify specific items / call numbers (see "Find Materials" below)
• Book a Librarian to make an appointment.

During your visit - You'll need:

• Valid picture ID, pencils and paper--No pens or sticky notes.
• Personal bags, backpacks? You may be asked to leave them in a designated area.
• Wash your hands before handling items. Feel free to wear a mask.
• Want a copy of something?
  • Taking photos is allowed. Self-service photocopying or scanning is not permitted.
  • Submit a request for a digital copy via Ask a Librarian. Requests are subject to copyright restrictions and physical condition of the item. 

After your visit -- Please:

• Give us a shout-out! Spread the word about the Archives.
• Attribute your source(s). Example: Abandoned mine, 1971, L.E. Leroy. Russell L. & Lyn Wood Mining History Archive, Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines.

Most Special Collections books, journals and reports, as well as some images and maps, can be discovered in the Library's catalog or the Mines Repository. Please Ask a Librarian if you want information about our other collections.

Our Special Collections & Archives focus on science and technology. The collections are a bridge between STEM and the humanities, framing the human experience in science and technology over time.

The collections include books and journals, some rare. The stars of the show, though, are the primary source materials -- original documents, maps, photographs, diagrams, and correspondence found nowhere else. When you use special collections and archives in your research, you get a unique perspective on the stories of technology and people.

A primary source is a first-person representation of an experience. A primary source may represent a scene, event, viewpoint, eye-witness account, or expert opinion. Primary sources are authoritative as an original expression of the creator--you must still evaluate the reliability, authority, and context of the work.

Examples of primary sources:

• Photographs
• Correspondence, emails, social media posts
• Sound recordings, videos
• Original field maps, engineering diagrams
• Oral histories, diaries
• Newspaper articles (if they meet the above criteria)
• Research data sets, lab notebooks
• Court transcripts

Secondary sources are based on analysis or interpretation of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include:

• Journal articles--They describe, analyze and interpret a subject, for example experimental results or observational findings
• Books describing findings, observations and interpretation
• Newspaper editorials based on other sources
• Documentaries, biographies

Archives play a critical role in defining history. Because they hold primary source materials, they:

• Give human context to science and technology through items like correspondence, accident reports, photographs, and accounts of daily life
• Are a source of "ground truth" about the past. Their content may be open to interpretation, but there is no filter between you and that content

Archives are an irreplaceable resource for those exploring the stories that don't make it into the history books. What happens if your "story" isn't represented in an archive? You and we all run the risk of losing that story to history.

Primary source materials don't care about today's politics, trends, or society--They are that moment in time as experienced by their creator.