Special Collections

The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections is committed to acquiring, processing, preserving, and making available primary sources and other rare materials that support the teaching and research missions of The University of Alabama.

In addition to documenting the historical and cultural experience of the state and people of Alabama and The University of Alabama, our collections focus on Southern history and culture; exploration and settlement of territory in the Gulf of Mexico; Civil War and Reconstruction; slavery, abolition, and emancipation; and African American history with special emphasis on the Civil Rights Movement.

Featured Collections

Empowering Voices digital exhibit – Materials on LGBTQ life in Alabama and the greater South

The Elise Ayers Sanguinetti Digital Collection – Manuscripts and selected correspondence from this 20th century Alabama author

Miracle and Mystery: A Guide to the Wade Hall Collection – An overview of these published and unpublished materials

Persuasive Weapons digital exhibit – WWI propaganda posters, with in-depth analysis