Special Collections

Harvey A. Andruss
Library




The Harvey A. Andruss Library Special Collections at Bloomsburg University consists primarily of books that are set aside for a number of reasons, including early imprint date, uniqueness or scarcity, of local value or interest, and a relationship to existing collections.

 

The Special Collections Development Policy outlines what materials and subject areas are considered for inclusion.



Some of the specific collections that are part of Special Collections:
  • Art exhibition catalog collection of nearly 10,000 items
  • Subject Area Concentrations of books on the following topics: Circuses and Animal Training, Coal Mining & the Molly Maguires, Tiffany & Stained Glass Windows, and Trains & Trolleys.
  • Automobile Collection consisting primarily of runs of various periodicals and several books
  • The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble Collection, comprising programs, posters, publications and production books of this acclaimed theatre group since its inception in 1978.
  • Covered Bridge Collection of books and ephemera about covered bridges
  • Elinor Keefer Collection of all Caldecott and Newbery award winners
  • The Joseph P. Tustin Papers, including the original diaries of Hessian Revolutionary War officer Captain Johann Ewald.  The diaries date from 1776-1784, and cover his service with the British Army during the war.  They also include many colored pen-and-ink maps drawn by Ewald, most done while in the field.  See the maps here.
  • Radical Labor Publications Collection containing over 1000 pamphlets, booklets. brochures, and newsletters by members of communist, socialist, and labor organizations dating from the 1920s to the 1960s. A listing by author has been provided for over 900 of these publications.  Digital images of a number of newsletters, including the American Bulletin, Counterattack, Socialist Monthly, and Negro Labor News Service can be viewed here.
  • The David Greenwald Radical Student Publications Collection containing primarily fliers but also brochures, catalogs, pamphlets, small posters and speeches documenting a variety of issues that students and young people in the Berkeley and San Francisco Bay area faced from 1966 to 1972. These include the Vietnam War, the draft, mind-expanding drugs, race, politics, educational issues on the University of California campus and concerts by local rock groups.
  • The Morning Press Negative Collection containing images of people, buildings and events taken in Bloomsburg, Columbia County and the surrounding area and published in the Morning Press newspaper between January, 1936 and January, 1958. A finding aid to the bulk of the collection will be available shortly.

Full-Text Historical Resources

  • Contemporary newspaper articles on the Bloomsburg Mollie Maguires: Patrick Hester, Patrick Tully, and Peter McHugh, who were tried, convicted, and hung in 1878 for the murder of Alexander Rea ten years before.  The newspaper coverage includes the Chicago Tribune, Columbia County Republican, the Columbian, the Miners Journal, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, and the Williamsport Sun and can be seen here.


Due to the uniqueness and fragility of the materials, they must be used only in the Special Collections/University Archives Reading Room during scheduled hours.  Special Collections is located on the third floor of the library. Scheduled hours for the fall and spring semesters are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Hours during the summer are by appointment only, so please contact the Coordinator in advance for assistance. The Coordinator of Special Collections is Robert Dunkelberger, and he can be reached by phone at (570) 389-4210, by mail at the Harvey A. Andruss Library, Bloomsburg University, 400 E. Second Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815, or by e-mail at rdunkelb@bloomu.edu.
 

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Updated 5/17/13