About Special Collections

Mission

The Special Collections Department of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, serves to collect, house, preserve, and make accessible scholarly collections of materials that are original, rare, unique, fragile, historical, and archival. Topical collecting areas are particularly emphasized within the fields of photography, the history of the biological sciences, the Baltimore Sun newspaper, science fiction literature and popular culture, alternative presses, UMBC history and records, and Maryland manuscript, photograph, and newspaper collections.




Staff

Beth Saunders, Curator and Department Head

Emily Hauver, Curator of Exhibitions

Susan Graham, Special Collections Librarian

Lindsey Loeper, Reference and Instruction Archivist

Robin Martin, Library Services Specialist

Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare, Processing Archivist


Tom Beck, Emeritus Librarian

Garrett Freas, Graduate assistant

Ryan Koons, Folklife Specialist

Mark Breeding, Graduate assistant


Blog

News, events, workshops, and collection highlights are frequently posted to the Library's myUMBC blog.


Social media

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Donations

Special Collections gratefully accepts gifts in a variety of ways. Your generosity benefits the entire UMBC community as well as visiting researchers and helps the Library execute its mission to fulfill the information needs of a research university with a distinctive undergraduate and graduate experience and to offer the highest quality resources and services for UMBC's growing and evolving teaching, learning, research, and service environment. You can help the collection reach its full potential by making a gift online, sending a check, and by donating materials (in-kind gifts). Learn more...


Internship and volunteer opportunities

Special Collections accepts interns and volunteers year-round, as allowed by staff availability. Possible projects include:

  • Exhibit assistance: help to curate, install, and promote an original exhibit, either in the Library Rotunda, Special Collections reading room, or online.
  • Provide access to published material: rehouse and learn to create holdings records for the Science Fiction & Fantasy fanzine collection
  • Archives processing: rehouse, arrange, and describe records and multimedia collections
  • Metadata creation: Learn/practice subject analysis, use of controlled vocabularies, CONTENTdm, and PastPerfect as you create item-level descriptions for scanned photography collections
  • Collection-level description: create collection-level records for archival and photography collections
  • Outreach: raise awareness of collections and resources
  • Digitization: prepare, scan, record technical metadata, QC, and upload collection materials to CONTENTdm

Contact Special Collections for more information.


Annual Report

2017 Annual Report

2018-2019 Annual Report

2019-2020 Annual Report

2020-2021 Annual Report


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Reading Room open by appointment


  • Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 12-4pm
  • Thursday 12-7pm
  • Schedule an appointment or email speccoll@umbc.edu for assistance. Appointments are required during the exam period, Winter session, and Summer session.

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Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery . University of Maryland, Baltimore County . 1000 Hilltop Circle . Baltimore MD 21250

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