Special Collections Mission Statement

The mission of Special Collections is fourfold:

to document the Central Shenandoah Valley [the city of Harrisonburg, as well as Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page and Augusta Counties]
to document the history of James Madison University
to serve as JMU Libraries’ repository for rare, irreplaceable, unique, or otherwise valuable materials which warrant special handling to assure their long-term availability
to support the use of primary source materials housed in Special Collections within the JMU curriculum and the wider community of scholars

Therefore, the objectives of Special Collections are:

to gather rare books, manuscripts and other special materials that support the mission of Special Collections, JMU Libraries, and the University
to process and house these materials in ways that make them accessible to the public while enhancing their preservation
to provide service in their use
to communicate to the University and the wider community the purpose and content of Special Collections
to encourage potential donors of desirable materials

See the Special Collections Collection Development Policy for additional information about the selection, acquisition, and maintenance of the Libraries’ unique collections.