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Special Interest Collections

We have several specialized collections in the library based subject matter or format. Many of these collections have been curated by our subject librarians and staff to provide unique access to resources related to a particular subject or resource type. Below is a list of the specialized collections we would like to highlight.

The Career Resources collection located on the first floor near the Popular Reading collection contains an assortment of vocational, technical, and industry career books. With over 100 titles, the collection assists students in preparing for careers with job-related insights, coaching, and professional guidance. In addition to information about all types of careers, the career materials and guides cover specific fields such as psychology, engineering, business, social sciences, architecture, education, the arts, and many more. Some notable publications in the collection include the Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance, Harvard Business Review guides, and the Congressional Quarterly Press career guides. The Career and Employment Research Guide provides access to electronic resources such as databases, ebooks, and other online resources.

The constantly changing Popular Reading collection located on the first floor inside the south entrance supports the leisure reading interests of UNC Charlotte faculty, staff, and students. The collection includes over 800 fiction and nonfiction titles, published within the last two years, and focused on a wide variety of diverse topics. The collection encourages an appreciation of reading and lifelong learning rather than to support the curriculum.

The Popular DVD collection contains hundreds of popular movies and TV series on DVD and Blu-ray. Each month we add the newest film and television releases along with selected classic and requested titles.

We are dedicated to promoting the publications of our talented faculty. The Faculty Publications collection located on the first floor near the Atrium includes books authored, co-authored, or edited by current UNC Charlotte faculty. After two years on the Faculty Publications shelves on the first floor, the books are moved into the general collection in their appropriate LC Classification.

The materials in the North Carolina Artists' Books collection were created by NC-based artists, created in North Carolina, or focus on some aspect of the state. For example, the library has multiple artists’ books by local, Charlotte-based artist April Marten and both artists’ books and broadsides created for the Asheville Bookworks’s Vandercooked Poetry Nights. The works vary widely in form, composition materials, and subject matter. The variety of elements provides artists and writers an opportunity for both visual and textual investigation. All artists’ books are housed in Special Collections and University Archives.

The Robert Lindsay Tate Collection for Jewish Studies located on the ground floor includes over 5,000 books to support Jewish Studies on our campus. Alice Tate donated books from her father Robert Lindsay Tate's personal collection as well as made a financial donation, which enables the library to purchase new materials that are selected by faculty from the Isaac Swift Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies. The books in the collection cover subjects including studies of sacred Jewish texts, the history of Judaism, the Holocaust, modern Judaism, and much more.

The Suzuki Collection located on the ground floor includes over 500 books donated to the library related to the study of Buddhism. Books in this collection cover a range of topics from the practice of Buddhism throughout the world to the history of Buddhism to different types of Asian religions including Zen Buddhism, Taoism, mystical traditions, and more!

The Library holds over 7,000 books in both Atkins Library and Storrs Library that are too large or unusually-shaped to fit on our standard-sized shelves. The oversized books span a range of topics from Art & Literature to Science & Technology to everything in between. Check these books out from the service desks like any other general collection books.