Mission Statement

Special Collections Research Center

The mission of the Special Collections Research Center, the principal repository for and steward of the Library's rare books, manuscripts, University Archives, and the Chicago Jazz Archives, is to provide primary sources to stimulate, enrich, and support research, teaching, learning, and administration at the University of Chicago. Special Collections makes these resources available to a broad constituency as part of the University's engagement with the larger community of scholars and independent researchers. In pursuit of its mission, Special Collections:

• Provides unique opportunities for teaching and learning
• Provides responsive, personable, and expert public service
• Builds distinctive and unique collections
• Facilitates discovery through online access to information about all SCRC collections
• Promotes access to and use of SCRC collections by collaborating with the Library, University, and Chicago-area special collections communities
• Collaborates with other Library units to promote preservation of SCRC collections

Revised July 2007