Mission

The Coastal Carolina University Department of Archives and Special Collections identifies, acquires, preserves, and provides access to records and papers of enduring and historic value. Its mission is twofold:

University Archives: To collect and maintain records of enduring and historic value created or received by the university and its employees. It serves as the institutional memory of the university and as a resource and laboratory to stimulate and nourish teaching and learning as well as research and scholarship relating to the university and region.

Special Collections: To collect and maintain non-university records and papers, which support the academic mission of the university. Areas of collecting interest are specified in a separate collection development policy.

Collecting Areas

The University Archives and Special Collections department collects materials related to Coastal Carolina University and the Waccamaw Neck region of South Carolina (Horry County, Georgetown County, and Williamsburg County). A brief version of the collecting policy is available below. The complete policy is available here .

University Archives

The University Archives collects official records, papers, and publications of Coastal Carolina University. It also collects the personal and professional papers of select faculty, staff, and alumni. These materials include but are not limited to department and committee minutes, agenda materials, correspondence, memoranda, reports, budgets, oral histories, lecture notes, course syllabi, the Chanticleer, Atheneum yearbooks, commencement programs, and fact books.

Local History Archives and Manuscript Collections

The Local History Archives and Manuscript Collections include papers of individuals, families, organizations, and local businesses with strong ties to the local area. Materials are especially of interest if they represent the growth and development of the university and region. The region includes Conway, Myrtle Beach, Horry County, Georgetown County, Williamsburg County, the Waccamaw River, Winyah Bay, and the Waccamaw Neck.

Special Collections

The Coastal Carolina University Archives and Special Collections does not serve as a repository for rare or scarce books that have fine printings, bindings or illustrations (except for South Carolina related materials). This includes those dating back to the earlier times of printing. Because of the expense, the department does not actively collect these materials; however, their acquisition in the form of gifts or donations is accepted under the guidelines of the library's Collection Management Policy and gift donation form.