About

Research & Instruction

Visiting researchers who wish to use archival, manuscript, or Baptist historical materials must make an appointment at least 3 business days in advance of their proposed visit. You may also call the department at 336-758-6175.

Special Collections monographs and published serials are searchable in the library’s online catalog. For help using the catalog to find our materials, please contact us.

We also have available an outline of the Record Groups in the Wake Forest University Archives. This provides a brief listing of the materials collected in the Archives.

Manuscript finding aids and inventories provide more detailed information about University Archives, church records, and personal and literary manuscript collections. Many of these finding aids are available online. A few collections do not yet have electronic finding aids; paper indexes for these collections are available in the Special Collections Department.

We can also provide subject-specific bibliographic instruction sessions in Special Collections for classes of up to 30 students. At least one week’s notice is required for class visits. We strongly encourage instructors to schedule an instruction session if a class assignment will require extensive use of Special Collections.

Preservation

The Preservation department repairs and protects materials in the library collection and in Special Collections. The primary goal of Preservation is to repair damaged books or materials in the library collection and return them to circulation as quickly as possible. If a damaged book is found, please bring it to the Circulation Desk. Preservation is located in Room 329 of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library.

For further information, read about preservation in our blog or contact us at 336-758-6175.

Use Policies

All divisions of Special Collections and Archives are open to the general public. Our registration process requires that researchers show a photo ID and provide a current address, phone number, and/or email.

Visiting researchers who wish to use archival or manuscript collections, including the NC Baptist Historical Collection, are required to make an appointment at least three business days in advance of a proposed visit. This allows the staff to confirm that requested materials are available and to inform visitors of any special events or schedule changes in Special Collections. Special Collections and Archives are non-circulating collections. Researchers have access to the historic Special Collections reading room, located on the 6th floor of the Reynolds Wing, for perusal and study of materials. Citation of materials from Special Collections and Archives should include the following:

[Name of collection], Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

For further information, contact us or call 336-758-6175.