Special Collections & University Archives welcomes donations of unique, historical materials that document the politics, people, arts and culture, social conditions, businesses, and development of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. Please contact us if you would like to speak with us about donating materials in the following categories:
Manuscripts
Materials that document the city of Charlotte and surrounding area, primarily:
- communities who are underrepresented in the archival record, such as African Americans, immigrant communities, women, and the LGBTQ community
- local politics and government
- civic leaders
- civil rights and social activism
- urban planning and growth
- the built environment
- motorsports
These materials may be any of the following:
- personal papers
- organizational records
- corporate archives
- maps
- photographs
- audiovisual recordings
University-Related Materials
Personal papers, memorabilia, photographs, and audio-visual materials that document student life, teaching, and the careers and activities of UNC Charlotte alumni. Please see our University Archives page to learn more about donating student organization records.
If you are a UNC Charlotte employee and need to transfer official records, please see our records management page.
Rare Books
Books, journals, broadsides, and other printed materials that are rare (i.e. not available in many other libraries) and are in at least one of the following categories:
- exhibit distinctive characteristics such as early imprints, noteworthy bindings, important provenance or associative significance
- published by notable small or fine presses
- contain subject matter supporting one of the core collecting strengths of Special Collections:
- history of North Carolina and the Charlotte region
- African American literature
- history and the civil rights movement circa 1900-1980, particularly in North and South Carolina
- textile industry and labor history in North and South Carolina
- children’s literature
- motorsports
- eighteenth-century British and European literature
- North Carolina LGBTQ history