Searching the Collections

Library Search

Library Search is App State’s integrated search tool that searches print and online resources (publications) from the University Libraries catalog and electronic resources licensed by the university. You can narrow your search to “Special Collections & Archives” and then further refine your results using filters on the left side of the page.

Special Collections Search

Searching from the Special Collections home page will automatically narrow results to only those available in the Special Collections Research Center. Use the “Search Type” dropdown to choose “Finding Aids” for Archives & Manuscripts and “Books & More” for Publications. Use “Collection to search” to limit your search to one of four collecting areas: Appalachian Collection, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Stock Car Racing Collection, or University Archives.

Manuscripts & Archives Search

Search the finding aids of the manuscripts and archives in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, the University Archives, and the Rare Books and Manuscripts collecting areas. Archival collections are typically organized into series and arranged in boxes and folders. A finding aid is a document used to navigate, describe, and contextualize the collection so that researchers can access it. It can be minimal or highly detailed; generally, it does not describe every item in a collection. Specific box numbers are needed to request materials for research, and can be found in the “Collection Organization” and “Container Inventory” tabs.

Digital Collections

See this page to select materials to search or to browse digitized items from our physical collections.

Subject Guides

Guides on subjects that are part of the Special Collections Research Center, including Appalachian Studies, Appalachian History, and Researching University History.

Clippings File Subject Lists

Click the links for topic headings for folders in the Appalachian regional newspaper clippings files and the Stock Car Racing Collection newspaper clippings files.

Video Orientations

View orientations to the Special Collections Research Center, the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, and the Digital Collections.

Bibliographies

Lists and annotated lists of rare books, films, maps, and genealogy manuals, including the Rhinehart Collection on British History, O’Quinn Girls Studies Collection, and Appalachian regional shape note hymnals.