University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries

Researchers from across the country and around the world regard UNC Chapel Hill's Manuscripts Department as one of the premier centers for research in the history and culture of the American South.


The Department's holdings currently exceed 20 million items. Each year, donors contribute new collections, providing an ever-growing wealth of research materials.

Millions of documents such as letters and diaries make up the majority of the collections, but the Department also has:

• 88,000 photographic images;
• 170,000 sound recordings; and
• 27,000 film and video recordings.

The potential uses of these collections are as limitless and varied as the researcher's own ideas. Medicine, meteorology, business, law, geology, and family history are just a few of the subject areas explored by the diverse researchers who use the collections.

Students, professors, independent researchers, and the general public are all welcome to learn what the Manuscripts Department has to offer them. By bringing your creativity and fresh perspectives, you may discover new and different ways of using these historical materials.