Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library Texas Tech University

History and Founding

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University is a major regional historical repository whose origins date to the founding of Texas Technological College in 1923. The institution's first librarian, Elizabeth Howard West, began collecting historical manuscripts almost immediately after the college opened in 1925. Key early acquisitions included records of the Espuela Land and Cattle Company (1929) and the Matador Land and Cattle Company (1930). In 1948, historian William Curry Holden and Lubbock business leaders formally envisioned a research centre modelled after the Barker Texas History Center. The Southwest Collection was formally established by the Texas Tech Board of Regents in 1955, and moved into a purpose-built $8.8 million facility in 1996, which includes a large reading room, conservation laboratory, oral history and video labs, and climate-controlled storage.

Collections and Holdings

The SWC/SCL comprises several distinct units: the Southwest Collection, the University Archives, the Crossroads of Music Archive, the Rare Books Collection, and the Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community, and the Natural World. Additional holdings include the Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and the Remnant Trust. The Southwest Collection itself holds more than 20 million items, including original manuscript materials (letters, diaries, business records), over 50,000 books on the American West and Southwest, 350,000 photographs, 4,500 oral history recordings, 1,500 newspaper and periodical titles, 8,000 reels of microfilm, and 1,300 reels of motion picture film and video. The 1688 Coronelli Globe, the libraries' millionth acquisition, is displayed in the building's rotunda.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The SWC holds 1,500 newspaper and periodical titles, making it a significant repository for Southwest regional journalism history. Collections document the careers of journalists and publishers, including the Bidal Agüero Papers, which relate to Agüero's work as publisher of the Spanish-language newspaper El Editor in Lubbock. The Crossroads of Music Archive serves as a repository for collections related to West Texas music culture, including documentation of regional broadcasting and recording.

Access and Usage

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library is open to researchers Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, with extended hours during fall and spring semesters. Researchers may contact reference services by email or phone. Much of the Southwest Collection is searchable through the university libraries' online catalogue, and digital collections are available through the SWCO DSpace Repository.