Special Collections

Monmouth University Library holdings include the following special collections:

U.S. Government Documents

The Monmouth University Library participates in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), a national network of libraries receiving federal documents distributed by the Government Printing Office (GPO). Created and published by all U.S. government agencies, these publications may serve as primary documents in scholarly research and be a source of information for the general consumer. The most important and widely used documents can be located by searching the library's online catalog. The majority of the documents in paper and microfiche format are located on the ground floor in compact shelving. For assistance with locating U.S. documents, please see a Reference Librarian or visit the
Library Government Documents webpage.

N.J. State Documents

The Monmouth University Library is part of a statewide network of libraries that receive New Jersey State Documents, the official publications of the State government; they cover a wide range of subject matter. The Library has been a Depository since 1968 and maintains a substantial retrospective collection. The Collection is located on the Lower Level in compact shelving and is for library use only. For assistance with locating N.J. State Documents, please see a Reference Librarian. To access information on N.J. State Documents from the
Library Government Documents webpage, click on "N.J. Government."

New Jersey Collection

The New Jersey Collection at the Monmouth University Library encompasses some 3100 books, periodicals, and cataloged documents pertaining to New Jersey, with particular subject emphasis on Monmouth County. The Collection is housed in Room 222 on the second floor of the Library’s Guggenheim Wing. Patrons are invited to use the Collection anytime during library hours. Please note, however, that the New Jersey Collection holdings are for library use only and may not be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. Bibliographic records for currently available collection holdings are retrievable via the Monmouth University Library online public acess catalog. Specific inquiries about the Collection may be directed to the Library’s Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections, at 732-923-4526.

Juvenile Literature Collection

A collection of books for children from pre-school to senior high school age is located in the New Building on the first floor. This Collection is intended for use by students in the School of Education. Consult the Library catalog for holdings and call numbers. Juvenile books may be borrowed.

Lewis Mumford Collection

The Lewis Mumford Collection at the Monmouth University Library encompasses a variety of research materials and personal belongings that were housed at Mumford's home in Amenia, New York when he died in 1990.

Purchased from the author’s estate by Monmouth University, the Collection numbers more than 3500 items. It reflects Mumford’s lifelong engagement as a public intellectual with fields that range from architecture, fine arts, philosophy and religion, to literature, urban planning and technology. Of particular note to researchers and scholars are the Collection’s artwork and annotated publications.

Bibliographic records for the currently available collection holdings are retrievable via the Monmouth University Library online public access catalog. Specific inquiries about the Collection may be directed to the Library’s Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections, at 732-923-4526. Policies governing the access and use of Mumford Collection materials are posted immediately below.

      Collection Policies and Procedures

Access to the Mumford Collection is by appointment only. Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections. A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the Mumford Collection.

Use of the Mumford Collection is confined to the Special Collections Reading Room. Mumford Collection materials do not circulate and may not be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

Users must sign a completed Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification before they will be admitted to the Special Collections Reading Room. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Food, chewing gum and beverages of any kind are not permitted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Cellular phones are not permitted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Smoking is prohibited throughout the Monmouth University Library.

Pencils and personal computers are the only means of transcription permitted in the Special Collections Reading Room. The use of pens and markers is expressly prohibited. The use of cameras and other imaging equipment must be authorized by the Collections Manager.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to handle requested items with care and to refrain from altering, or rearranging, collection materials. Researchers may not place papers or other objects on collection materials when taking notes. Researchers may not remove collection materials from Mylar enclosures. All collection materials requested by researchers should be left in the condition in which they were received.

Photocopying of Mumford Collection materials will be performed by the special collections staff only, and only after the researcher has submitted a completed Application to Photocopy Form. The Monmouth University Library reserves the right to limit or refuse photocopy requests subject to the condition of collection materials and/or restrictions imposed by the collection donor or by the US Copyright Act.

Permission to examine, or photocopy, Mumford Collection materials does not imply permission to publish or quote. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain such permission from both the copyright holder and Monmouth University.

The Monmouth University Library reserves the right to inspect all research material before patrons exit the Special Collections Reading Room. The Monmouth University Library reserves the right to deny access to any Mumford Collection materials that are fragile, not processed, or restricted by request of the collection donor.

Theft or mutilation of library materials constitutes a crime. Those who engage in such activity will be subject to prosecution.

Researchers who fail to abide by these policies or who behave in any manner that threatens to endanger the collection holdings, other researchers, or the property and staff of the Monmouth University Library will forfeit the privilege of access to the Mumford Collection.

Library Archives

The Monmouth University Library receives many materials that document the history and development of Monmouth University from its origins as a junior college to the present.  Deposited by university offices and individual donors, these materials include a variety of official papers, publications, photographs and ephemera, in addition to files that were created and maintained by the university staff on select topics pertaining to the school.

During the Spring 2010 academic semester, the first of these materials to be inventoried and processed were opened to library patrons for research.  Additional archival holdings will be made available on an ongoing basis as processing of accessioned items is completed. Links to finding aids for the holdings that are currently open for research have been posted immediately below:

MU Theses: Communication
MU Theses: Computer Science
MU Theses: Criminal Justice
MU Theses: Electrical Engineering
MU Theses: Electronic Engineering
MU Theses: English
MU Theses: History
MU Theses: Liberal Arts
MU Theses: Physics
MU Theses: Software Engineering

Please note that access to the above holdings is by appointment only and is subject to special collections policies approved by the Monmouth University Library. Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections (732-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the Library’s open archival collections.

Vietnam Newspaper Project

In the spring of 2001, several students from the Monmouth University Department of History and Anthropology, working in collaboration with the Monmouth University Library, compiled an annotated bibliography of Vietnam War-related articles that were originally published in Monmouth’s campus newspaper, The Outlook. The bibliography and full text of many of the cited articles are now available online. To visit the project webpage click here.

DESA Oral History Project

Yet another colloboration between the Monmouth University Department of History and Anthropology and the Monmouth University Library, the DESA Oral History Project documents the personal stories of thirty U.S. Navy destroyer escort veterans who were interviewed by students from the HS-298 Special Topics class in the fall of 2002. To visit the project webpage click here.

Rare Book Collection

The focus of the Monmouth University Library Rare Books Collection is on early English history, military history, and English and American literature. The Rare Books Reading Room is located on the first floor of the library (located behind the reference coordinator) and is independent from the Mumford Collection. It is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm by appointment; weekend use is available by prior arrangement. Anyone with a scholarly interest is welcomed to use the room. Please note that laptop computers, pencils and notebooks can be used in the Reading Room, but food, cameras, and pens are not permitted. To browse the collection remotely, click “Library Catalog” from library.monmouth.edu, and then click “Subject Heading.” Next, enter the text "Rare Book Collection” and click Submit Search to see our collection (most of which is not cataloged as of 1/2010, though research use is still welcomed). To schedule an appointment in the Rare Books Reading Room, please contact George Germek at 732.571.4403.