Research Help

There are two main collecting units in the Special Collections and Archives (SCA) Department: the Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) and the Regional History Center and University Archives (RHCUA). Researchers can discover materials in all collection areas using this website and ArchivesSpace.

Finding Books

The RBSC book and publication holdings can be searched using the library catalog. Similarly, titles from a small book collection in the RHCUA can be found searching the library catalog. All books from the SCA collection are non-circulating and must be used onsite.

Finding Archives

ArchivesSpace is an open-source archival database that provides access to all published SCA finding aids. Finding aids are documents that describe archival collections, primarily consisting of an inventory and information about a collection’s provenance and arrangement. Finding aids related to the RBSC collecting areas are available online. RBSC archival material holdings range from single items and small groups of letters to full collections of papers. A large portion of these collections are comprised of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of American (SFWA) author’s papers.

Finding aids related to the RHCUA archival holdings are available online. Researchers can also find PDF versions of finding aids from the Regional History Collections and University Archives on our website.

Citation Help

The majority of individuals that come to the Regional History Center and University Archives are asked by professors to cite using the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). The following examples demonstrate the Chicago Style, which can be used as a guideline for another style of preference. When using CMOS to document items from the Regional History Center and University Archives it is important to note that there is a difference between notes (foot or end) and bibliography citations.

Citations occurring in your text as foot or end notes list the item title as the first element.

[Item Title], [Date], [Series Title (if applicable)], [box 3], [folder 3], [Collection Number], [Collection Name], [Depository Name]. 

Letter to J.F. Glidden from Superior Barbed Wire Co., 29 February 1896, Glidden House, box 1, folder 12, RC 6, J. F. Glidden Papers, Regional History Center and University Archives at Northern Illinois University. 

Student Affairs Newsletter, 1973, box 1, folder 8, UA 39, Student Affairs Office, Regional History Center and University Archives at Northern Illinois University.

Citations within a bibliography list the collection title first, followed by the author and repository name.

[Collection Name], [Collection Author (if applicable)], [Depository Name]. 

Glidden , J. F., Papers, Regional History Center and University Archives at Northern Illinois University. 

Student Affairs Office, Regional History Center and University Archives at Northern Illinois University.

Notice that in the first example, the formal name "Glidden" was listed first to aid in clarity for the reader. All entries should be listed alphabetically.

Consult the CMOS for further direction, or review citations of the National Archives, which can be amended to fit the resources you used. Additional helpful resources include Founders Library's Citation Help and Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions concerning citations or collection attribution or call 815-753-9392.

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