Using RBMSCL for Research: A Tutorial

Introduction

Whether you are new to archival research or simply unfamiliar with the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, this section will provide a useful orientation. Exploring our resources in advance of a visit enables you to use your time in the reading room more efficiently.

If you are unfamiliar with the types of documents available in an archival repository, interpreting their physical clues and text, or envisioning the ways they might contribute to your research, please explore the Manuscripts Research Tutorial created by archivists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Several sections — Fundamentals, Finding, and Using — would be particularly helpful to researchers using any archive.

What will you find in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library?

Our name describes our holdings accurately, but uses terms that may not be familiar. Our rare books include an array of rare print material: books dating from the earliest days of printing to the present, broadsides (flyers and posters printed on one side), and pamphlets. We also hold written documents that predate the printing press: papyri, hand-written manuscripts, and some cuneiform tablets. Manuscripts include many types of unpublished primary sources: literary manuscripts, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, business and organization records, photographs, maps, oral histories, sound recordings, film, and video. Special Collections are groups of materials gathered together based on some shared characteristic: books written by Duke alumni, oral histories of African Americans from Southern states, promotional cookbooks produced by manufacturers of foods or kitchen appliances, or D.C. comic books, for example.

How do you identify materials related to your research topic?

• Reference Overview
• Finding Materials

Are there other archival repositories at Duke University?

• The Duke University Archives is the official repository for records of the university.
• The History of Medicine Collections, part of the Duke University Medical Center Library, preserves manuscripts, monographs, visual material, and realia.
• The Duke University Medical Center Archives collections consist of the administrative records of Duke University Medical Center departments and personal papers of individuals affiliated with DUMC and its related entities.
• See Other Primary Sources for an overview of other primary source materials available in the Duke University Libraries.