Collections
The purpose of any library is to organize and provide access to information, and while much of that activity takes the form of online links from this site, the Butler University Libraries also contain items organized into discrete collections bound together either by topic or their source of acquisition. Information on searching our more general collections of books, media, scores, or online resources can be found using the Find link in our main menu.
Our department of Special Collections, Rare Books and University Archives contains many distinct collections of resources ranging from books about Pacific islands, documents from Butler University’s history, or the personal papers of prominent figures from Indianapolis. The individual pages for Special Collections and Rare Books or University Archives contain more detailed information and links to Collection Guides for each named or topical collection. Many of these items or their Collection Guides are cataloged and searchable in WorldCat Discovery, but can only be used in the Hugh Thomas Miller Rare Books Room on Irwin Library’s third floor.
Additionally, since it is part of Butler University Libraries’ mission to provide as much access as possible to our resources, many of these collections have been digitized and are available for viewing or download from our Digital Image Collections page. Also available are art image collections available only for use by current students, faculty, and staff. The Libraries have also digitized the entire run of Butler University’s yearbook, known primarily as The Drift, as well as other documents and images from Butler University’s history.
Our most recent collections endeavor is to provide an institutional repository, known as Digital Commons, which exists to promote discovery, research, cross-disciplinary collaboration and instruction by collecting, preserving and providing electronic access to select work created at Butler University. Materials in Digital Commons are freely available to anyone around the world, highlighting the work of Butler University’s faculty and students. Digital Commons also contains distinct University publications such as the currently published Booth and Manuscripts and the defunct Butler University Botanical Studies journal.