Research Guides: Special Collections: Collections

Collections

Most Special Collections materials do not circulate (leave the library). Users may consult materials in the Richard and Dr. Candace Beutell Gardner Special Collections and Rare Book Room. Because our material is housed offsite, please contact us with your request before visiting.

Collection Strengths

African American literature and culture
Children's literature
Detroit history, arts, and literature
Judaica
Michigania (including law)
Science, medicine, and nursing

All Collections, A-Z

All Collections, A-Z

African American Literature Special Collection
Topics include slavery, race relations, Black leaders, performers and athletes, United States history, political activism, folklore, Africa, and religion.
Alternative Press Collection
The Alternative Press Collection includes art and poetry published by Detroiters Ken and Anne Mikolowski beginning in the late 1960s.
Anca Vlasopolos Published Works
Poems, articles, essays, book reviews, and short stories by Professor Emerita Anca Vlasopolos.
Arthur L. Johnson African-American History Collection
The Arthur L. Johnson collection reflects the history of African Americans as it relates to the civil rights movement in the United States.
Barbara Kohler Inuit Art Resources Collection
Exhibition pamphlets, regionally-focused booklets, relevant magazines, and related documentation of Inuit art.
Dennis Glen Cooper Collection
Cooper hosted a local television show in the 1950s. The collection consists primarily of 16mm travel films and glass slides.
Detroit Focus Gallery Collection
Organizational records of the Detroit Focus Gallery, founded in 1978 in reaction to the changing art landscape in Detroit.
Detroit Poetry Collection
Poets who were born or lived in Metro Detroit, as well as those who have written about Detroit, or have had intellectual connections to the Detroit poetry community.
Edward M. Wise Collection (Law Library)
The Edward M. Wise Collection of criminal law, international law and history is located in the Special Collections Room on the 2nd floor.
Eloise Ramsey Collection of Literature for Young People
Rare books and periodicals related to children’s literature from the late 18th century to the present.
Florence Nightingale Collection
A variety of works by and about Florence Nightingale.
Frank Howard Collection of Civil War History
Frank Howard was a well known Michigan collector who assembled one of the largest Civil War collections in the Midwest, focused primarily on Abraham Lincoln.
Glass Bell Press Publications
The Glass Bell Press was a hand press that operated in Detroit in the mid-1970s and distributed broadsides of women’s poetry.
Jeheskel (Hezy) Shoshani Library Endowed Collection
Formerly known as the Elephant Research Foundation Library.
Kasle Collection
Materials on Judaic-Christian heritage with a special emphasis on Judaica, Hebraica, and Yiddish literature.
Kresge-Hooker Scientific Library
Leonard N. Simons Collection of Rare Michigan History Texts
Historical books and geographic materials on the Northwest Territories, Michigan, and Detroit.
Merrill-Palmer Institute Collection
Books and journals in the subject of childhood education, psychology and sociology.
Michigan Collection (Law Library)
Historical Michigan treatises and documents pertinent to the formation and development of the state. Please see a Law Library reference librarian for assistance.
Mildred Jeffrey Collection of Peace and Conflict Resolutions
Focuses on the issues of international peace, conflict resolution, human rights, environmental studies, and social justice.
Millicent A. Wills Collection of Urban Ethnic Materials
Begun in 1968 and dedicated in 1990 to former Detroit school teacher Millicent A. Wills, this collection consists of books that deal with urban life and ethnic diversity.
Ralph Rinaldi Alternative Press Materials
Postcards, bookmarks, bumper stickers and original artwork by local artists, mailed to subscribers by the Alternative Press.
Rouge River Archive
The Rouge River Archive is a collection of reports, conference proceedings, and other documents related to efforts to remediate and manage the watershed of the Rouge River in Southeastern Michigan.
Shiffman Medical Library Historic Collection
Includes historic medical texts dating back to the mid-1500s and publications by local hospitals.
Textbook Collection
The Textbook Collection contains items that cover all subjects. Special attention has been given to subjects taught in the Detroit Public School System. This collection is located on the fourth floor of the Purdy Library. Contact us at spec.collections@wayne.edu for more information.
Van Riper Family Correspondence
Letters written between 1836-1889 to members of the Van Riper family of Wayne County, Michigan.
William Alfred Boyce Storytelling Collection
Some of the best works in storytelling, from the collection of a professional storyteller and WSU professor.

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