Special Collections

A new partnership between the government of Québec and Vanderbilt University will bolster opportunities for academic and cultural exchange involving the Canadian province and the Nashville institution. The collaboration was announced June 18 at an event celebrating Québec’s deep ties to Middle Tennessee that also served as an early observance of Québec’s annual national day.  Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives has fully digitized the Rev. James Lawson Papers and made these materials available to the general public, giving students, scholars and historians a more complete picture of the distinguished activist’s life and legacy. Read More

A new article in "EdTech Magazine" and a case study by the Center for Digital Education highlight how the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries continue to innovate in the area of digital preservation.  Read More

The complete archive of Vanderbilt University’s flagship publication has been fully digitized and is now available online, making more than a century of university history accessible to the Vanderbilt community and others around the globe. Read More

Gilded treasures belonging to university founder Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate and one of the wealthiest Americans of the 19th century, are among the items featured in All That Glitters: Silver and Gold at Vanderbilt, currently on display at the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives. Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries are marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023 with the acquisition of eight prints by celebrated hip-hop illustrator and documentarian André LeRoy Davis. The prints, which are now available for teaching and research, engage critical themes in… Read More

 “Dante Behind Bars: Not Made to Live Like Brutes.” The Annual Dante Lecture the Vanderbilt editions the Divine Comedy Created in the Fall of 2022, the Annual Dante Lecture at Vanderbilt celebrates the life and works of Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest poets in world literature. This lecture… Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have strengthened their commitment to preserving cultural heritage by joining the Digital Preservation Coalition, a prestigious U.K.-based nonprofit that works with global partners to facilitate long-term digital preservation solutions. The Heard Libraries are one of only six organizations… Read More

A Two-day Cultural Heritage Preservation Summit, July 19-20 You are invited to participate in four separate sessions over two days that are meant to inform and provide a forum for sharing experience and expertise, support learning and exploration, and facilitate creative problem-solving. Bring your ideas and questions and join the… Read More

This summer, the Special Collections and University Archives Library will move from the second floor of the Central Library Building to 1101 19th Avenue South, near the Wesley Parking Garage.  To complete the move, Special Collections will close its operations July 17-28.  We will reopen for full service on Monday,… Read More