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Special Collections

NASA Collection

The Lucy Carson Library serves as the Book Depository for NASA for the state of Montana. All NASA materials are included in the regular circulating collection.

Montana Memory Project

https://mtmemory.org/digital/custom/home/#/

The Lucy Carson Library, through its commitment to ensure the freedom of access to and the use of information to all users, has worked with the Montana Memory Project to digitize and make available the following collections on the Montana Memory Project website: 

  • University of Montana Western Catalogues and Bulletins
    • A description of academic programs, fees, policies, facilities, services, faculty and staff of the school.
  • University of Montana Western Club Meeting Minutes and Scrapbooks
    • A collection of individual, club and organization scrapbooks, and meeting minutes showcasing aspects of life at the school variously known as Montana State Normal College (1903-1949); Western Montana College(1949-1988); Western Montana College of The University of Montana (1988-2000); University of Montana Western (2001-).
  • University of Montana Western Images
    • Forty-six candid shots across the decades of college life at the University of Montana Western (Dillon), as well as materials from the public relations department in the 1950s. Founded in 1893 as Montana State Normal School, it was known as Western Montana College of Education before joining the University of Montana system.
  • UM Western Yearbooks (The Chinook)
    • The Chinook began as the yearbook of Montana State Normal College in 1906 and continued through 2006, with the exception of the war years of 1944, 1945, and 1946. The yearbook consistently retained its name throughout the University’s various name changes.
  • UMW Faculty/Administration Publications
    • This collection contains the MSNC Alumni News 1941-43 and the Normal College Index 1926-37.
  • Western Montana College Masters of Education Theses 1956-1988
    • Theses submitted by graduate students at Western Montana College in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education between 1956 and 1988.
  • Western Montana College Sports Media Guides, 1989-2007
    • Booklets provided to sports media journalists by WMC/UMW athletic department containing information related to players, team history, statistics, and conference standings.

Montana Newspapers
http://montananewspapers.org/

This full-text searchable database contains 653,351 pages from 104 Montana town, county, school, and tribal newspapers dated 1873-2017.

  • University of Montana Western Newspapers
    • A publication of campus news and events, the Montanomal, was published from 1922 to 1949. Renamed The Wescolite in 1949, it was published until 1999. The name changed to Western Wire from 2002 to 2004, but reverted back to The Wescolite in the fall of 2004. Publication ceased after 2009.
  • Dillon Tribune
    • A publication of the Yellowstone Newspaper Group, covering Beaverhead County, The Tribune was originally published in 1881 and continues today. The Lucy Carson Library began digitization efforts, which continue in partnership with the Dillon Public Library and the Montana Historical Society. The Dillon newspaper is available on Montana Newspapers papers from Dec. 23, 1887- 2015.

Notable websites for archival research:

Archives West

http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/

Search for primary sources from the western United States, including correspondence, diaries, and images.

National Archives

https://www.archives.gov/

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves U.S. government documents.

Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Many holdings are digitized, including texts, audio files, and images.