Materials in the Special Collections Room include faculty publications, rare books, the Virginia authors collection, books related to Virginia including Longwood history and local history, and the Alice in Wonderland collection donated by the Droessler family.

Procedures Regarding Use and Retrieval of Materials from the Special Collections Room

Materials housed in the Special Collections Room may be used in the room during the hours it is open to the public.  Books may not be taken from the room without permission from the person staffing the room.  Rare books may not be used outside the Special Collections Room. Care must be used when handling materials. Pencils only—no pens or markers—may be used when taking notes.

Items in this collection have a location of "Special Coll./Room 202" in the library catalog. Researchers wishing to access a book in the Special Collections Room at a time when it is not open to the public are encouraged to check the library catalog to see if a circulating copy is available.  The Library has duplicate circulating copies of some of the materials housed in Special Collections.

When the Special Collections Room is closed and a circulating copy is not available, researchers may request the item at the Circulation/Reserve Desk. Books will be retrieved by Lydia Williams or a designated staff member and delivered to the Circulation Desk. The researcher's ID must be left at the Circulation/Reserve Desk in exchange for the book, and the material must be used in the building in accordance with the Selected Special Collections Usage Policy and Procedures.  When returned to the Circulation/Reserve Desk, books will be placed on the hold shelf for Lydia Williams to retrieve for reshelving in the Special Collections Room.

The first point of contact for retrieving books housed in the Special Collections Room is Lydia Williams.  In her absence, contact the librarian on duty at the Learning Commons Desk.

Longwood yearbooks, undergraduate and graduate catalogs, and books related to local history are available upon request in Selected Special Collections at the Circulation/Reserve Desk. Back issues of the student newspaper, The Rotunda, are on microfilm housed in the Reference Room. Current issues are shelved with other newspapers.

Users needing archival materials other than those available in the Selected Special Collections or Special Collections Room must contact Lydia Williams to schedule a time to discuss the researcher's needs.

Updated August 2010