Collection Development

Materials added to the Special Collections Library shall possess intellectual properties, which are in accord with the Statement of Purpose of the College and are supportive of the roles of Musselman Library in the instructional processes of the College. The authority for accessioning or withdrawing materials for the Special Collections Library rests with the Head of Special Collections and the Director of Musselman Library

Civil War Collection

The focal point of the Civil War Collection is the Battle of Gettysburg. Supporting materials, chosen selectively, provide a background for relating the Battle to the context of the War.

Materials accessioned into the Civil War Collection should support the objectives of the collection. Histories of the units engaged in the Battle are incorporated in the collection. Special areas of interest, represented by contemporary or reprint editions, include women, spies, prisons, medicine, railroads, and raids.The Civil War Collection includes original source materials and reprints in the form of government documents, newspapers, photographs, regimental histories, and personal reminiscences such as diaries, letters, and autobiographies.

Gettysburgiana Collection

The Gettysburgiana Collection shall include one copy of all publications of individual faculty, administrators, graduates, and students if the author provides the copy. Special Collections normally will not purchase copies.All publications of the College will be preserved as official records as part of the College's Archives.Published and unpublished items in various media related to the history and description of the College will be collected as they become available. These may include books, newspaper and journal articles, photographs, letters, selectively acquired artistic works, audio or videotapes, and typescripts of selected lectures.
Manuscript material in the form of personal papers shall be carefully scrutinized before being added to the collection. In some cases, it may be more appropriate for the material to be deposited in another institution (e.g., scientific research notes which would be of use to graduate students and a limited number of scholars).

Rare Books and Maps

Old and/or rare materials will be added to this collection only with a great amount of selectivity. The primary criteria are the relevance of the material to the instructional processes of the Library and the College and their appropriateness in regard to Special Collection's Policies.The financial value of an item or possible gift should not be paramount over the intellectual value of the item. This applies particularly to the consideration of possible gift material and to the de-accessioning of current material.