In library science, special collections is a specific repository or department within a library that stores materials of a "special" nature, including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts. The primary function of a special collections department is to keep holdings safe and secure while remaining accessible.

iSchool Courses

Suggested

• LIS 505 – Archival and Manuscript Services (3)
• LIS 507 – Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials (3)
• LIS 508 – History of Recorded Information (4)
• LIS 526 – Government Publications (3)
• LIS 531 – Catalogs, Cataloging, and Classification (4)
• LIS 534 – Indigenous Systems of Knowledge (3)
• LIS 537 – Construction of Indexing Languages (4)

Also consider...

• LIS 501 – History and Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship (3)
• LIS 521 – Principles of Information Services (4)
• LIS 545 – Fundamentals of Data Curation (4)
• **LIS 598 – Digital Preservation (4)
• MUS 528 – Advocacy and Social Change (3)
• MUS 560 – Museum Administration and Leadership (5)
• All courses from the Textual Studies Certificate Program may also count toward the MLIS.

**Note that LIS 598 courses are special topics. You will not find the course descriptions in the LIS course catalog; instead reference the special topics descriptions.

Professional Organizations

• ARMA International
• Library of Congress Preservation
• National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators
• National Film Preservation Foundation
• Society of American Archivists

Sample Job Titles

• Archivist
• Collections Archivist
• Data Management Specialist
• Document Specialist
• Project Archivist
• Records Management Specialist
• Special Collections Librarian
• “Subject Matter” Librarian
• Video and Post Production Specialist