The Special Collections & Archives serve as the institutional memory of the university, seeking to gather, arrange, preserve, and make accessible collections related to the histories of southern Appalachia, Northeast Georgia, the military, and the communities surrounding the university's five campuses.
There are three ways to access and research the materials stored in the Special Collections & Archives:
Most materials stored in the Special Collections & Archives qualify for federal copyright protection. To promote educational advancement, the U.S. Copyright Law has provided a "fair use" clause allowing individuals to access these copyright-protected materials for the purpose of "private study, scholarship, or research." For any action beyond fair use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of materials and, when applicable, to obtain the necessary legal permissions. The library will share any information it has about copyright holders upon request.
You can browse most of our archived artifacts and documents (along with many additional digital-only materials) right now in our online catalog. For those planning to physically visit our archives, we strongly recommend also using this online catalog to identify which campus you need to schedule your appointment.
The Dahlonega and Gainesville campus libraries each host their own unique set of artifacts and materials for viewing and study.
In the interest of preserving these historical items, Special Collections & Archives do not circulate these items between the campuses, nor are they available for Interlibrary Loans nor temporary research loans.
An appointment is required for all visitors, except during Dahlonega campus's "Open Research Days" mentioned in the following section.
Mon-Thurs | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
Friday | 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. |
Weekends | -Closed- |
You can visit the Dahlonega archive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays without an appointment.
(The Gainesville archive is available by appointment only.)
The University of North Georgia Special Collections and Archives will consider requests for reproductions of specific items from its collections subject to limitations imposed by U.S. Copyright Law, donor restrictions, curatorial approval, conservation and security concerns, and available resources. Fees apply.
* Note: While the fair use doctrine of U.S. copyright law permits you to possess a reproduction of these materials for the purpose of private study, scholarship, or research. These materials (and their originals) are otherwise still protected by federal copyright law, whenever applicable (i.e., not in the public domain.) For any purposes beyond those mentioned by fair use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of materials. The library will share the information it has about copyright holders upon request.
If you are interested in publishing materials in the UNG Special Collections & Archives, you will need to:
Shortly after submitting your Permission to Publish form, a confirmation email will be sent with an attached copy of your form.
Forms take approximately two weeks for review, after which a decision email will be sent to you with the next set of instructions.
In alignment with these archival efforts, the UNG Libraries additionally host these two digital initiatives: