Special Collections Mission Statement

Revised 2/08

The Mission of Special Collections is fourfold:

• To document the Central Shenandoah Valley  [the city of Harrisonburg, as well as Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page and Augusta Counties]

• To document the history of James Madison University
  

• To serve as Carrier Library's repository for rare, irreplaceable, unique, or otherwise valuable materials which warrant special handling to assure their long-term availability
  

• To support the use of primary source materials housed in Special Collections within the JMU curriculum and the wider community of scholars 

Therefore, the objectives of Special Collections are: to gather rare books, manuscripts and other special materials that support the mission of Special Collections, Carrier Library and the University; to process and house these materials in ways that make them accessible to the public while enhancing their preservation; to provide service in their use, to communicate to the University and the wider community the purpose and content of Special Collections; and to encourage potential donors of desirable materials.

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