Exhibits
Special Collections showcases its collections through both physical exhibits in Belk Library and digital exhibits. Special Collections also considers requests to host guest exhibits from others in the University community.
Current Exhibits
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: A Celebration of Girls in the Comics
4th Floor Atrium
This exhibit draws from comic books, memorabilia, and reference materials in the Elaine J. O’Quinn Girls’ Studies Collection, part of the Children’s Literature collection in the Rare Books & Manuscripts unit in Special Collections, as well as loans from O’Quinn. The exhibit will be on display through the 2025-2026 academic year.
4th Floor Hallway Images
2023-2024
The hallway on the 4th floor of Belk Library and Information Commons features images from all of the collecting areas of the Special Collections Research Center: Rare Books and Manuscripts, Stock Car Racing Collection, University Archives, and W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection. Labels accompany each photograph and provide the title, date, creator, and the collection in which it is found. For more information, see “New Photographs on Belk Library’s 4th Floor Hallway.”
Past Exhibits
The MerleFest Archives: Preserving more than 30 years of Music, Moments, and Memories
2023-2024
MerleFest is an annual music festival that celebrates “traditional plus” music. The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy “Merle” Watson, son of Doc and Rosa Lee Watson. In December 2020, Appalachian State University Libaries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) received the MerleFest Archives, and this exhibit provides a snapshot of some of the materials that are part of the MerleFest Archives.
Black Mountain College Writers & Artists in Printed Word
January – August 2019
“Black Mountain College Writers & Artists in Printed Word” provided a glimpse of the numerous rare publications in Special Collections by writers and artists associated with Black Mountain College, which operated from 1933 to 1957 in the Swannanoa Valley of North Carolina.
Camp Yonahlossee for Girls
May 2022 – April 2023
Camp Yonahlossee, once located near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, was a summer camp for young women. It operated from 1922 (or 1923–conflicting records) to the late 1980s. Materials from the exhibit came from the archival collection about the camp in the Special Collections Research Center
James and Louise Broyhill: Public Servants for North Carolina
April 2017 – December 2018
This exhibit, based in archival material from the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection and the University Archives, covered a variety of highlights of the active public careers of James and Louise Broyhill.
A New Look at Old Friends: An Exhibit of Vintage Series Books for Girls
April 2021 – May 2022
A reprise of the original installation in 2012, curated by Dr. Elaine J. O’Quinn and members of the Special Collections Research Center, the exhibit featured books from the Elaine J. O’Quinn Girls’ Studies Collection in the Special Collections Research Center. On display are a variety of materials related to girls’ series books from the mid-1800s through the early 20th century.
Snow Scenes of Winters Past
February – April 2017
The “Snow Scenes of Winters Past” exhibit drew on images from the University Archives’ photo collections and The Rhododendron yearbooks and presented a multitude of snow scenes on campus from the 1920s to the 2000s. A digital component maps a selection of the images on display to their locations on campus.
The Cherokee
Fall 2019 – April 2021