Nearly all libraries keep current newspapers in their collection. They may also keep backfiles of the major local paper as well as selected major national papers. A university library will normally serve as a repository for copies of masters theses and doctoral dissertations written by graduates of the university. In addition to housing traditional print and media collections, many libraries will also maintain collections of materials that serve special interests, including collections of scarce and valuable materials. UNF library keeps all the above materials in its collections.

Newspapers are housed in the library's periodicals area on the third floor. UNF Library keeps the Florida Times-Union, other Florida newspapers like the Miami Herald, a selection of major national newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, and selected international papers such as the Times of London. The local paper and a select few national and international papers are also archived on microfilm. For example, the library's Florida Times-Union archive on microfilm goes back to the beginning days of the newspaper in the late 19th century. The library's archives of the New York Times and the Times of London date to the 1800s and 1700s, respectively. Researchers wanting to identify primary sources for historical research will find the newspaper archives invaluable.

The keys to finding information in the newspaper archives are newspaper indexes. UNF Library has print indexes to the New York Times and Times of London newspapers in its Index/Abstract Collection on the third floor of the library. Without an index, finding information in either of these world-class newspapers would be very difficult. The indexes arrange article descriptions by topic so that a researcher can locate relevant materials more quickly. Within a topic, the article listings are chronological, thus enabling a day-by-day approach to following a developing story. The print newspaper indexes provide cover-to-cover indexing of the papers. If you are looking for more recent information on a major news story that might have appeared in either of these papers or in another national caliber paper, such as the Washington Post, some online services will provide computerized indexing. For example, the Expanded Academic ASAP will let you search the New York Times and the Times of London for major news coverage. News services such as Lexis-Nexis will go beyond just indexing papers; they will also provide the full text of major articles appearing in the papers.

Theses and Dissertations are housed in two areas in the UNF Library. Circulating copies of every thesis and dissertation written by UNF graduates are available in the 3rd floor General Collection. An archival copy of each dissertation and thesis is kept in the Special Collections area on the 1st floor. Researchers hoping to review what previous UNF graduates have researched and written about can use the library's catalog to search for theses and dissertations. A shortcut for quickly locating theses and dissertations is to use the catalog Advanced Search and to enter the subject Dissertations, Academic--UNF and a keyword describing the subject you want to find. For example, to find a thesis dealing with art therapy select the keywords in subject search for "dissertations academic unf" and the keyword search for the phrase "art therapy" (enclosing words in quotations forces the catalog to search the exact phrase). If anyone who has previously graduated from UNF has written a thesis or dissertation on art therapy, the UNF catalog will respond with a listing.

If you just wish to browse the library's thesis collection you can do so by going to the X call letter section on the 3rd floor or by making an appointment to visit the Special Collections department on the 1st floor.

Other Library Resources that researchers may not know about include rare and valuable materials that are kept off the public shelves, manuscript collections, and archives. The UNF Library houses all these types of materials in its Special Collections area on the 1st floor. Included in the collection are papers and correspondence of local dignitaries such as the philanthropist Eartha M. M. White, rare first editions of books written by famous authors, and archives for the University of North Florida. A researcher hoping to find out how the university was planned and developed, for example, could easily discover that information in the library's University Archives collection. A researcher hoping to learn more about Jacksonville and its early 20th century history could find firsthand information by reviewing the correspondence, papers, and photographic collections of Eartha White. Researchers interested in viewing a reproduction of Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks will discover that UNF Library keeps his Madrid Codices in its Special Collections vault.

Rare and valuable materials will appear in the library's catalog just like any other library materials. Take note of the location information in the catalog to discover rare and valuable materials or limit your search in the Advanced Search mode to the Special Collections location. Archival materials, such as university archives and Eartha White's papers, are indexed by the Special Collections librarian and do not appear in the library's catalog. For help with these materials, make an appointment with the librarian.

Libraries aren't just collections of books and magazines, as the foregoing examples should indicate. Libraries help to record history and to preserve the past by protecting materials that might easily be lost to deterioration, neglect or decay. Preservation may be in the form of microfilm as in the case of newspapers or in the form of special treatment and limited access as in the case of special collections materials. Special treatment does not mean that you, the researcher, are denied access, only that access is monitored to ensure that the materials will survive. By taking safeguards, libraries ensure your access to historical materials for years to come.