Boston University Libraries HGARC

ARCHIVES and SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

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Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center

Instituted in 1963 and named for its founder, HGARC houses many of Boston University Libraries’ special and archival collections. It is located on the fifth floor of Mugar Memorial Library and is accessible via the South elevator. The Gotlieb Center specializes in the personal collections of twentieth century public figures in the fields of literature, criticism, journalism, drama, music, film, civil rights, diplomacy and national affairs. In addition to its contemporary collections, the Center is home to Boston University Archives, holdings of earlier historical documents, and rare books.

The Gotlieb Center welcomes researchers from BU and beyond and is a singular research destination. Our collections vary in size and content, containing a variety of manuscripts, drafts, galleys, notes, notebooks, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, reviews, photographs, memorabilia, and personal and professional correspondence. Most collections have a finding aid, many available online in ArchiveSpace, and are available for research by appointment. We preserve these collections and make them readily available to researchers while administering all legal copyrights and restrictions.

Boston University ArchivesSpace

Many of the Gotlieb Center collections are listed or described in the Boston University ArchivesSpace within the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Repository. If you would like more information, or to request access to collection materials, please contact us after reviewing our guidelines and rules.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Archive

The iconic civil rights leader earned his PhD from Boston University’s School of Theology in 1955. Donated in 1964, the Archive includes Dr. King’s manuscripts, notebooks, correspondence, printed material, financial and legal papers, a small number of photographs, and other items dating from 1947 to 1963. Facsimiles of select materials are available on permanent display in the Martin Luther King Jr. Reading Room on the 3rd floor of the Mugar Memorial Library.

Howard Thurman & Sue Bailey Thurman Collections

The Howard Thurman collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, subject files, printed material, audio recordings, and other items. The Sue Bailey Thurman collection consists of manuscripts, subject files, correspondence, personal memorabilia, and photographs.

The Elie Wiesel Archive

At the time of his death in 2016, Elie Wiesel was Professor Emeritus at Boston University, where he had served as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in Humanities since 1976. This large collection documents the life and professional work of this extraordinarily prolific writer, journalist, scholar and international public figure, and contains source material of interest to scholars of Wiesel’s life and work, the Holocaust, modern Jewish Studies and other subjects.

Partisan Review

Founded in 1934, Partisan Review magazine was one of the most significant cultural literary journals in the U.S. Learn more and view issues from 1934-2003.

Boston University Archives: Includes papers of administrators, faculty, and staff, as well as yearbooks and catalogs.

History of Nursing Archives: A resource of nearly two hundred collections from various nurses and nursing organizations, chronicling the history of the nursing profession from its beginnings to the present day.

Rare Book Collections: significant collections of poetry, literature, American history, Islamic history and culture.