Special Collections

The University Library's holdings include a number of Special Collections. Most of the Collections are accessible during the hours the Reference Desk is staffed, although some have limited access. The Collections are housed in the Library's Guggenheim Wing and are comprised of the following:

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 Web page.

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 Web page, 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. Holdings in the Collection are for library use only. They may not be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. The New Jersey Collection is housed in Room 222 on the second floor of the Library’s Guggenheim Wing. Patrons are invited to browse the Collection anytime during library hours. Bibliographic records, including locations, for the currently available collection holdings can be viewed via the Monmouth University Library 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 comprises 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 can be viewed via the Monmouth University Library catalog.

Update: January 2009

The Lewis Mumford Collection returned to its campus home from offsite storage with the rededication of the Monmouth University Library in September 2006. Processing of the final accessions resumed during the summer of 2007 and should be completed later this year. The Collection reopened on January 21, 2009 in a new location on the second floor of the Library’s recently renovated Guggenheim Wing. For the convenience of prospective patrons, this new locale will eventually offer access to the Monmouth University inventory of Lewis Mumford’s art, in addition to an expanded selection of books and periodicals that were acquired from Mumford’s personal research library. Policies governing the use of collection materials are posted immediately below this update. Specific inquiries about the Collection may be directed to the Library’s Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections, at 732-923-4526. The Monmouth University Library thanks the many friends of the Lewis Mumford Collection for their continued patience and understanding while we upgrade our facilities and services.

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 one week advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the Mumford Collection.

Researchers must sign the Collection Log, complete a 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.

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

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 the requested items with care and to refrain from altering, or rearranging, Mumford Collection materials. Researchers may not place papers or other objects on collection materials when taking notes. Researchers may not remove collection materials from clear Mylar enclosures. All collection materials requested by researchers should be left in the condition in which they were presented.

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 Mumford Collection materials.

Library Archives

The Library Archives are currently closed for collection inventory and processing.  Holdings will become available to researchers as this work is completed.  The target date for resumption of initial collection services is late December 2009.  In the interim, specific inquiries about Archives holdings may be directed to the Monmouth University Library Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections.  The Monmouth University Library thanks the many friends of the Library Archives for their continued patience and understanding while we upgrade our facilities and operations.

The Monmouth University Library Archives retains select materials that document the history and evolution of the school from its origins as a junior college to the present.  These materials encompass a variety of official university papers and publications, university photographs and university ephemera.   Additional holdings include clipping subject files that were created and maintained by the library staff on select topics pertaining to the University.       

Access to materials in the Library Archives is by appointment only and subject to the same policies that govern the Mumford Collection. Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Collections Manager for Archives and Special Collections.  A minimum of one week advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment.

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 many of the cited articles are available online.  To visit the site, click here.

DESA Oral History Project

This electronic archive was created to preserve and provide access to the personal stories, accounts and experiences of the destroyer escort veterans interviewed. The interviews were conducted by students in Professor Susan Douglass' Special Topics History Class HS298-01 in the fall of 2002.