Collections Overview

Manuscripts Collection

Special Collections houses over 500 collections of unpublished primary source material generated by individuals, families, and organizations with connections or relevance to Wake Forest University and its curriculum. Types of materials in these manuscript collections include writings, correspondence, photographs, architectural drawings, audio-visual materials, and computer files.

Rare Books Collection

The Rare Books Collection emphasis is American, Irish, and British authors of the eighteenth through twenty-first centuries (including African-American literature); and cultural and social history, with particular emphasis on North Carolina history and regional Americana. The collection also supports study in the area of the book arts, including papermaking, marbling, and the history of printing.

NC Baptist Historical Collection

The North Carolina Baptist Historical Collection (also known as the Ethel Taylor Crittenden Collection in Baptist History) documents the history of North Carolina Baptist churches, institutions, and individuals. The collection contains materials on Southern, Missionary, Primitive, African-American, Union, and Alliance of Baptist churches. These materials include over 16,000 books, periodicals, association annuals and other printed materials; church records; association minutes; and church vertical files. In addition, there are more than 1000 biographical folders containing information on and photographs of Baptist pastors and Wake Forest alumni.

The collection serves as a repository for records from North Carolina Baptist churches and institutions. See our church records page for more information about these collections. The NCBHC is also the repository for the Alliance of Baptists and the Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina archives.

In addition, a complete set of the print version of the Biblical Recorder, the official journal of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, published biweekly and in existence since 1833, is available in the NC Baptist Historical Collection. Access to the recently digitized and completely searchable Biblical Recorder is also available. The Biblical Recorder office also publishes an online version of the journal which varies slightly from the print version. To access the online version, or for more information about the history, subscription information, or staff information, you may visit biblicalrecorder.org.

Wake Forest University Archives

• Finding Aids
• Presidents’ Papers
• Records Retention Policy

Collections in University Archives include papers of the school’s presidents; official records of academic and administrative departments, faculty committees, student organizations, and libraries; minutes from Board of Trustees meetings; and a large collection of photographs. University Archives also maintains collections of official university and student publications, biography files on alumni and faculty, and news clippings files.

An outline of the record groups in the Wake Forest University Archives and a list of items accepted and declined are also available.

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.