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Established in 1970, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections is named for Walter Havighurst, a writer and professor of English who taught at Miami University from 1928 to 1969. Helen Ball was its first curator. Today, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections in King Library houses more than 95,000 volumes plus manuscripts and archives, and continues to grow according to the collection development policy (pdf). Cataloged volumes are included in the Miami University Libraries’ online catalog at http://www.lib.miamioh.edu which may be searched directly from the Special Collections homepage. More information about the collections, as well as finding aids for selected manuscript collections and archives. Located on the third floor of King Library, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections invites researchers to enjoy its reading rooms and an exhibit gallery.
HOLDINGS
Major collections within Special Collections include the:
- Samuel F. Covington Collection, which documents the exploration, settlement, and development of the Old Northwest Territory and the Ohio River Valley
- André de Saint-Rat Collection of Russian History, Literature & Art, which documents late 19th and early 20th century Russian history and culture
- Edgar and Faith King Juvenile Literature Collection, which documents developments in children’s literature
from the 18th century to the present - Myaamia Collection, which was established by Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma as a repository for the Miami Indian historical and cultural materials
- Samuel Richey Collection of the Southern Confederacy, which includes Letters and telegrams written by Jefferson Davis, his Cabinet and generals that highlight the correspondence of Confederate leaders prior to and during the Civil War
Other strengths include:
- American History and Literature
- Performing Arts
- Miami University History
- 1841 Collection: 1,600 volumes from Miami’s first cataloged library
- Cradle of Coaches Archive
