Purpose: Special Collections supports the courses of study offered and anticipated by the university at the undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate levels in the areas of Texas studies, geography and historical cartography, and, to a more limited extent, Mexican studies. Special Collections also provides resource materials needed for independent scholarly research to students, faculty, and the general public.
Special Collections' goal is to establish and maintain special collections of materials which are distinctive to the region, provide archival support to the University, or fulfill the obligation of the University Libraries to preserve rare and special materials. To these ends, Special Collections collects, as exhaustively as possible within budget limitations, all library and archival materials relating to Texas, the U.S. War with Mexico (1846-1848), The University of Texas at Arlington, and Mexico from 1810-1920. Additionally, Special Collections collects, as exhaustively as possible, maps, charts, atlases, and other printed and manuscript items depicting the cartographic history of Texas, the Gulf of Mexico region, and the Greater Southwest.

Though Special Collections has a number of components (please see Special Collections at The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries: A Guide, Arlington: The University of Texas at Arlington, 1989, compiled by Special Collections Staff and edited by Gerald D. Saxon, pp. 4-8, for a brief history of Special Collections), this policy is divided into major collecting areas rather than by section. In this way, collecting priorities, which may transcend a single section, can be clearly articulated. The collecting areas discussed in the policy are: Texas, the U.S. War with Mexico (1846-1848), Mexico, Cartographic History (including maps), Labor and Politics, University, and Special Collections.

Special Collections' Texas Collection includes both published and unpublished material. We actively collect such printed material as books, serials, newspapers, broadsides and broadsheets, graphics, maps (see section on CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY), sheet music, and microforms. Additionally, we collect manuscript and archival records, oral history interviews, photographs and negatives, videotape, and other media.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Language: English is the primary language of the material in the Texas Collection. Spanish is also emphasized; German and French are also collected. Non-English writings are purchased in English translation as well as in the original language, when available.
• Chronological Guidelines: No limits.
• Geographical Guidelines: Primarily Texas, but including as a lower priority works dealing with the history of the American Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona). Special emphasis shall be on the immediate Fort Worth/Arlington/Dallas area and surrounding counties, as well as the thirty counties which were once a part of the Robertson Colony. Please see the Appendix for a list of these counties.
• Treatment of Subject: Primary emphasis is on material treating some aspect of Texas as a subject. Juvenile material may be included, especially when it is from the immediate geographic area or is one of a few books available on that aspect of Texas. Original literary works (including fiction, poetry, drama, essays, and humor) which are by specific Texas authors or about Texas subjects are collected as completely as possible, including critical and historical studies dealing with such literature. Collected authors should have acknowledged identities as Texans or strong associations with Texas. Books written by authors who were merely born in Texas or who have marginal association with the state will usually be acquired only if the subject is Texas. Books published in Texas on non-Texas subjects will not normally be acquired unless there is some other Texas significance, e.g., printer, illustrator, etc.
• Types of Materials: Materials acquired include printed items, books, pamphlets, serials, sheet music, directories, broadsides and broadsheets, maps (see section on CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY), newspapers, media in all formats, graphics, publications in microform, manuscripts and archives, photographs and negatives, newspaper clippings, and machine readable records. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical directories, etc., of a general nature will be purchased selectively. Cookbooks are acquired very selectively and should either include local history information or be historically significant. Genealogical works will be acquired selectively when they deal with Texas in general or with local history of the North and Central Texas regions in particular. Family histories that are primarily genealogical in nature will be purchased only if the family has long-time Texas connections. Local and county histories will be collected exhaustively. The collecting emphasis shall be on primary source material first, secondary sources second.
• Date of Publication: Both current and retrospective purchases are made, including original printings and editions. Emphasis will be on exhaustive purchases of current material and as exhaustively as possible due to budget limitations of retrospective material.
• Other General Considerations: Special Collections is part of the Regional Historical Resource Depository (RHRD) system administered by the Texas State Library. As an RHRD, Special Collections houses the historical records for the counties of Collin, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, and Tarrant. There is some duplication of book material with Central Library, Architecture & Fine Arts Library, and Science & Engineering Library. Many books on tangential subjects will be located in one of these other libraries on campus. Special Collections' Texas holdings are complemented by materials in other area libraries, notably the Dallas Public Library, Fort Worth Public Library, Dallas Historical Society, DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas Library, and Texas Woman's University Library. Other notable Texas collections in the state are the Barker Texas History Center at The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas Collection at Baylor University, the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University, the Rosenberg Library at Galveston, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo.
• Observations and Qualifications by Subject Subdivision: Materials relating to Texas history subjects will be collected as exhaustively as possible within the restrictions outlined above. Works of a general nature pertaining to Texas and local and county histories will be collected to an exhaustive level. Materials relating to the Fort Worth/Arlington/Dallas area and North and Central Texas will also be exhaustively collected. Materials by Texas authors will be collected as specified above. Highly technical works are not collected.

Special Collections' U.S. War with Mexico (1946-1848) Collection includes both published and unpublished material. We actively collect historical sources, both published and unpublished, from Mexico and the United States which reflect each country's view of the conflict. Among the types of materials collected are books, serials, pamphlets, government documents, broadsides and broadsheets, general orders, prints and lithographs, sheet music, manuscripts, maps (see section on CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY), newspapers, and, to a lesser extent, artifacts.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Language: English and Spanish are the primary languages of the material. Non-English writings are purchased in English translation as well as in the original language, when available.
• Chronological Guidelines: Primarily the years 1846-1848.
• Geographical Guidelines: Emphasis shall be on the nations involved in the war -- Mexico and the United States.
• Treatment of Subject: All aspects of the war will be collected exhaustively, including material reflecting the war's causes, its progress, and its consequences. Works of fiction, literature, poetry, and drama written about the war will also be collected. Biographies and autobiographies of individuals who fought in the war will be collected exhaustively. Graphic depictions of the war and its participants as well as musical pieces commemorating battles and individuals associated with the war will also be collected exhaustively. Materials reflecting both the United States' and Mexico's viewpoints will be actively collected. Primary and secondary sources will be collected exhaustively.
• Types of Materials: Materials acquired include books, serials, pamphlets, government documents, broadsides and broadsheets, general orders, prints, sheet music, manuscripts, daguerreotypes, maps (see section on CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY), newspapers, and microforms. Artifacts are not actively solicited but may be accepted as donations or as part of manuscript collections. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical directories, etc., of a general nature will be purchased selectively. Media and audio-visual materials with the war as their focus will be collected.
• Date of Publication: Both current and retrospective purchases are made, including original printings and editions.
• Other General Considerations: There is some duplication of book material with Central Library and Architecture & Fine Arts Library. Institutions in the area with holdings which complement Special Collections' U.S. War with Mexico (1846-1848) Collection are the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth (prints and daguerreotypes) and, to a lesser extent, the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University. Another notable collection can be found at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
• Observations and Qualifications by Subject Subdivision: Materials, in all formats, relating to the Mexican War will be collected exhaustively.

The Mexico Collection is a direct outgrowth of Special Collections' interest in the U.S. War with Mexico (1846-1848), the fieldwork and microfilming done in Yucatan, and the historical bonds Texas shares with Mexico. The collecting focus for the collection is narrower than for Texana and includes material, both archival and printed, that reflects the history of Mexico from 1810 (the outbreak of the Independence movement) to 1920 (the end of the Mexican Revolution).

Special Collections has done extensive microfilming of archives in Honduras, but currently it does not actively collect printed material for that country.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Language: English and Spanish are the primary languages of the material. Other languages, most notably French, may be collected. Non-English writings are purchased in English translation as well as in the original language.
• Chronological Guidelines: Primarily the years 1810-1920.
• Geographical Guidelines: Emphasis shall be on Mexico as a whole, the northern border states, the Federal District, and Yucatan.
• Treatment of Subject: Primary emphasis is on material dealing with the political history of Mexico, rather than the literary, economic, and social aspects of Mexican life. Primary sources shall be emphasized.
• Types of Materials: Materials acquired include printed items, books, pamphlets, government publications, broadsides and broadsheets, maps (see section on CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY), newspapers, media, publications in microform, and manuscripts and archival records.
• Date of Publication: Both current and retrospective purchases are made, including original printings and editions. Emphasis will be to collect as exhaustively as possible within budget limitations.
• Other General Considerations: There may be some duplication of book material with Central Library, Architecture & Fine Arts Library, and Science & Engineering Library. Many tangential books will be located in one of these other libraries on campus. The holdings on Mexico are complemented by materials in the Fort Worth/Arlington/Dallas area at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University. Other special collections on Mexico in the state are in the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at El Paso Library, and The University of Texas at San Antonio Library.
• Observations and Qualifications by Subject Subdivision: Materials relating to the political history of Mexico from 1810 to 1920, especially primary sources both published and unpublished, will be collected as exhaustively as the budget allows.

The Cartographic History Collection includes maps, charts, atlases, geographies, books and serials, and other printed and manuscript items dealing with the history of cartography and the mapping of the New World, with special emphasis on Texas, the Gulf of Mexico region, and the Greater Southwest, including Mexico.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Language: English, Spanish, French, German, and Latin are the primary languages of the collection, but maps and other material in all languages are considered provided they depict or discuss the collection's area of focus. Non-English writings are also purchased in English translation as well as in the original language.
• Chronological Guidelines: Emphasis is placed on the period 1492-1900, but maps of Texas for all years will be collected.
• Geographical Guidelines: In order of priority: Texas; the Gulf of Mexico region; the Greater Southwest, including Mexico; North America; the Western Hemisphere (New World); and the world.
• Treatment of Subject: Political, transportation, travel, promotional, outline, and base maps are collected as exhaustively as possible for the above geographical focus. Portolan charts and other navigational charts are selectively collected as are manuscript maps. Pocket maps, thematic maps, and atlases are acquired according to subject and geographical guidelines, with emphasis given to economic, historical, linguistic, demographic, and transportation maps and atlases. Current editions of road and travel atlases are selectively acquired, as are school maps or atlases and juvenile materials. Some topographic maps are collected by Special Collections.
• Types of Materials: Because of the varied informational needs to be met by the Cartographic History Collection, many types of materials are required, including selected reference works, such as bibliographies, indexes, reference guides, gazetteers, dictionaries of geographic and cartographic terms, and biographical directories of cartographers; maps, both printed and manuscript, and navigational charts; books, serials, pamphlets, and government publications; map catalogs; road maps, city plans, pocket maps, and insurance maps; facsimiles; and atlases. Wall maps and globes are acquired on a very selective basis. Publications in microform and media may be acquired.
• Date of Publication: Both current and retrospective purchases will be made, including original printings and editions, when possible. Material already in other areas of Special Collections will not be duplicated.
• Other General Considerations: There may be some limited duplication of book and map material in the Central Library, especially in the Government Documents section. The emphasis of the Cartographic History Collection, however, is to show the historical development of Texas, the Gulf of Mexico region, and the Greater Southwest. In this way, the collection complements and supplements the other collecting areas of Special Collections. Only in rare cases will maps or materials outside of the geographical and chronological focus discussed above be purchased or accepted in donation.

The Texas Labor Archives consists primarily of archival and manuscript material from Texas labor unions, such as correspondence, minutes, proceedings, oral history tapes and transcripts, charters, serials, photographs, film, newspapers, and memorabilia. In the late 1960s, the focus of the archives was expanded to include political collections. Because unions are constantly involved in political activity of one kind or another, the move to acquire political material was a natural step. The sheer size of modern political collections has forced the archives to limit its collecting interests to the papers of elected officials primarily from the North and Central Texas area. In addition, the archives collects the records of political action groups and the personal papers and collections of political activists.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Languages: English is the primary language of the collections. Materials in Spanish may also be included.
• Chronological Guidelines: No limits, but the bulk of the material dates from 1890-current.
• Geographical Guidelines: Texas primarily, but significant regional and national labor collections will be considered provided there is some tie to the state. Political collections will be restricted to the papers of elected officials from North and Central Texas.
• Treatment of Subject: Primary emphasis is on material produced by Texas unions, union officials, law firms specializing in labor cases, political action groups, advocacy organizations like the Texas Civil Liberties Union, and elected officials and political activists from the North and Central Texas area.
• Types of Materials: Materials acquired include archival records, such as correspondence, financial reports, minutes, charters, constitutions, legal documents, by-laws, oral history interviews, scrapbooks, newsletters and newspapers, photographs and negatives, certificates, posters, cassette tapes, film, and microform. Published and printed material relating to the Texas labor movement will also be collected exhaustively, including books, serials, theses, dissertations, microform sets, pamphlets, and audio-visual material.
• Date of Publication: Both current and retrospective items will be collected.
• Other General Considerations: Material relating to the American and international labor movement can be found in Central Library. The holdings of the Texas Labor Archives are complemented by collections at the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University in Atlanta, the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit, and the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. Complementary political collections can be found above (see section on TEXAS, e.g. Other General Considerations).

Special Collections serves as the archives for The University of Texas at Arlington. As such, we acquire university records that are judged to have enduring historical value. Additionally, we collect the records of UT Arlington's forerunner schools, beginning with Arlington College, a private institution founded in 1895. The university material is primarily archival in nature and includes correspondence, memoranda, financial and statistical reports, budgets, minutes, photographs and negatives, slides, oral history interviews, plans, proposals, scrapbooks, and computer generated records. Printed material such as university publications, newspapers and newsletters, yearbooks, and university catalogs are also collected. Artifacts are not actively solicited.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Language: English is the primary language of the material in the University Archives.
• Chronological Guidelines: 1895-current.
• Geographical Guidelines: Arlington, Texas.
• Treatment of Subject: Emphasis is placed on collections that reflect the development of the university and its forerunners. Special emphasis will be on collecting the records of key policy-makers at the university, such as the President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Because of the role that the News and Information Office plays in gathering and disseminating information about the university, its records, photographs, slides, and negatives are aggressively sought. The papers of faculty members are not actively collected unless they reflect the growth and development of the university as a whole.
• Types of Materials: Materials in various formats are collected, including annuals, books, newsletters and newspapers, catalogs, correspondence and office files, reports of all kinds, budgets, memoranda, minutes, photographs and negatives, slides, oral history interviews, plans, proposals, scrapbooks, and computer generated records. Artifacts are not collected, except in rare cases.
• Date of Publication: No limits.
• Other General Considerations: Because the university as yet has no official records management program, offices across campus are responsible for maintaining and disposing of their own records within state guidelines and university policy. As a result, historically significant records will likely be located in a number of campus offices.

Purpose: As a custodial function, Special Collections, at the request of the Information Organization & Preparation program area, may bring together books and materials in need of conservation and protection because of their fragility, format, or intrinsic value. These materials are not actively sought by Special Collections, but when they are received by the Libraries or are identified within its existing collections, they may be transferred to Special Collections following the Libraries' transfer policy. These materials include: early imprints; materials with unusual bibliographic characteristics; materials with unusual physical characteristics; materials especially prone to loss, damage, or mutilation; and collections.

General Collection Guidelines:

• Early Imprints: These include works printed before:
  1. 1801 in England and continental Europe
  2. 1821 in the United States east of the Mississippi River, in South America, in Central America, and in Canada
  3. 1876 in the United States west of the Mississippi River
  4. 1901 in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific
• Materials with Unusual Bibliographic Characteristics. These include:
  1. Editions limited to 500 copies or less
  2. Significant first editions
  3. Association or autograph copies, when significant
  4. Extra-illustrated or grangerized books
  5. Works distinguished by illustrations, typography, binding, fore-edge painting, or the like
• Materials with Unusual Physical Characteristics. These include:
  1. Materials in unusual formats, e.g. broadsides, ephemera, playbills, portfolios, prints
  2. Materials of unusual size, e.g. large folios and miniatures
  3. Other unusual characteristics, such as fragile or delicate bindings, boxes which should be preserved, or awkward shapes
• Materials Especially Prone to Loss, Damage, or Mutilation. These include:
  1. Volumes of fine, loose, or tipped-in plates
  2. Volumes with manuscript materials laid or tipped-in
  3. Volumes with bound or laid-in material, such as maps, subject to mutilation
  4. Erotica
  5. Other materials, as appropriate
• Collections: This category includes collections which must be kept together, either because of similar subject or format or because of donor stipulations.

Approved 10-31-90