Collections

Materials maintained at the University Archives and Special Collections Department are diverse. They include letters, diaries, notebooks, speeches, lectures, drafts of books and published articles, research and reference files, cutting books, photographs, drawings, minute books, agenda papers, logbooks, financial records, maps and plans. Many archival collections also include artifacts, such as the shovel used for the groundbreaking for Tyler State College.

Find detailed descriptions of collections by using Archon, which searches UASC finding aids.

University Archives
The University Archives materials document the teaching, research, administrative functions, and services of the University, from the inception of Tyler State College to the present University of Texas at Tyler. The UASC collects official archival records of the University, as stated in the Texas State Records Retention Schedule, and also those materials that represent the historical, cultural, and educational significance of UT Tyler. University Archives collections include (but are not limited to) News and Information Records, Board of Regents Records, photographic collections, and President's Office materials.

Special Collections
Special Collections at the UASC include manuscript collections, rare books, maps, paintings, and other materials that represent the history of the surrounding community. These materials serve to document the importance of the history and influence of Tyler and Smith County and, as appropriate, collections may spread out into the region of Northeast Texas. These collections include the Sarah McClendon Papers, Harold McKenzie Papers, Judge Billy Williamson Papers, and the Judge William Steger Papers. Our archives has also acquired through an agreement with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) the records and papers of former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff.

The UASC also reserves the right to collect unique items of broader cultural or historical significance on a case-by-case basis. Items of interest in this category include some fine examples of nineteenth-century publishers' bindings, a seventeenth-century illuminated manuscript, and an eighteenth-century German Elector Bible with engravings of Martin Luther and various German electors.