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Starting Points

Not sure where to begin? Browse through a list of Special Collections most popular areas.
  • Digital Collections
    This site features digitized materials such as photographs, maps, newspapers, posters, reports and other media selected from Special Collections’ holdings.
  • UW Ethnomusicology Archives
    Founded in 1962, With more than 1,500 collections and over 100,000 items, the UW Eth­no­mu­si­col­ogy Archives is one of the most extensive archives of its kind. From 1/4″ tape and vinyl discs to 16mm film and .wav files, its unique holdings document music, language, and sound across a range of cultures, traditions, and styles.
  • GLBTQ Collections
    A bibliography highlighting archival and print resources in Special Collections relating to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community.
  • Historical Visual Materials
    This guide lists a variety of research materials such as photographs, architectural plans, postcards, historical maps, artwork and ephemera.
  • Labor Archives of Washington
    LAW houses over 350 collections of labor and labor-related materials from individuals and organizations. These collections provide comprehensive documentation of the local, national, and international aspects of the labor movement in the Pacific Northwest. Moreover, they shed light on the intricate intersections between labor unions and social justice, civil rights, and political organizations that focus on labor relations and labor rights.
  • Pacific Northwest Collection
    Printed materials, archives, manuscripts, visual and auditory media, and scrapbooks relating to the history, culture, and people of the Pacific Northwest.
  • Religion and Society in the Pacific Northwest
    This site is a guide to records of religious congregations and organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and papers of persons involved in these organizations, supporting the study of the region’s social, political and economic history.
  • Senator Henry M. Jackson
    This portal provides a general overview of key archival, printed, and visual resources in UW Libraries Special Collections that document Senator Jackson’s long and distinguished career in public service.
  • University of Washington Archives
    University Archives serves as the central and final repository for the historical records representing all aspects of the campus community.
  • Visual Images of Exploration, Discovery, and Early Settlement in the Pacific Northwest
    This site showcases a small portion of Special Collections’ holdings relating to the history and culture of the visual arts in the Pacific Northwest. Presented here are highlights of artistic works — primarily book illustrations, but also original artwork and decorative maps — which document the exploration, discovery, and settlement of this region, dating from approximately 1770 to 1910.
  • Washington State Jewish Archives
    The Washington State Jewish Archives contains manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, and moving images documenting the Jewish people and communities throughout Washington State.