Searching the Collections

Starting Your Research

Special Collections and University Archives has incredibly diverse, historical, and unique primary and secondary sources. At this time, there is no single portal to search across the collections. However, we have put great effort into arranging and describing collections to enhance discoverability through our website and catalog. 

We are here to help you, so please contact us if we can be of any assistance with identifying materials that may be relevant to your area of research. Your query will be immediately acknowledged upon receipt.

Searching the Collections

We recommend these search strategies to locate materials maintained by Special Collections and University Archives.

• Special Collections - papers and manuscript collections: browse finding aids/guides to collections by name or browse by subject. The search bar located at the top right of the website searches the content within the site.
• Special Collections - rare books: in SBU Libraries' catalogSEARCH limit the "Material Type" to "Books" and the "Library" to "Special Collections"
• Special Collections - maps: in SBU Libraries' catalogSEARCH limit the "Material Type" to "Maps" and the "Library" to "Special Collections" 
• University Archives - books, journals, newspapers, etc.: in SBU Libraries' catalog SEARCH limit the "Library" to "Archives" 
• University Archives - collections: browse the finding aids/guides to collections by name
• University Archives - digital collections: browse DSpace, the institutional repository of Stony Brook University Libraries
• Digital Collections: browse our website forDigital Projects 

Research Guides

• Primary Sources: Research Guide
• All Research Guides

Important Information: Access to Collections

For preservation reasons, all items in Special Collections and University Archives are non-circulating and can not be borrowed. Materials can requested and consulted in our reading room. Collections are housed in closed stacks outside of the reading room and must be retrieved in advance of a scheduled appointment. We are glad to schedule a time for your visit.