Special Collections and Archives at Southeast Missouri State University acquires, preserves, and makes accessible research materials that document the historical, literary, and cultural experience of Southeast Missouri, the Mississippi River Valley region, and the history of Southeast Missouri State University.
While the holdings of Special Collections and Archives are developed in relation to instructional and research interests within the University, all holdings are available for use by visiting scholars and the general public, as well as by Southeast faculty and students.
To search Special Collections & Archives physical collections, please visit: http://library.semo.edu:8081/
To search Special Collections & Archives digital collections, please visit: https://semo.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/
Regional History Collections
Special Collections and Archives is the official repository for regional history research materials on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Special Collections actively collects and receives, through donations, material documenting the history of a 14-county region in Missouri. The subject strengths of our collection reflect the most significant historical happenings of the region -- European settlement, foreign and domestic wars, river and rail transportation, the draining of the Southeast Missouri swamps in the early 20th century, and the subsequent rise of agriculture in the region.
Special Collections and Archives houses more than 500 Regional History Collections, consisting of over 2,200 linear feet of materials, including maps, historical site surveys, clippings, postcards, oral histories, newspapers, business and organizational records, architectural records, and over 280 linear feet of photographic material.
Special Collections and Archives houses the archives of Southeast Missouri State University, from its founding as the Southeast Missouri State Normal School in 1873 to the present. Records created by key university administrative entities and offices, organizations, faculty, and faculty governing bodies are housed here. University publications, like the Capaha Arrow newspaper and the Sagamore yearbook, are located in Special Collections, as well as over 2,000 diverse photographic images of people, buildings, and campus life.
