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{{Short description|Rare book and manuscript library in Provo, Utah, United States}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{coord|40|14|57|N|111|38|57|W|type:landmark_region:US-UT|display=title}}
{{Third-party|date=April 2025}}
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[[Image:SpecialCollection inside.JPG|thumb|right|BYU Special Collections]]
The '''L. Tom Perry Special Collections''' is the special collections department of [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU)'s [[Harold B. Lee Library]] in [[Provo, Utah]]. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special collections contained over 300,000 books, 11,000 manuscript collections, and over 2.5 million photographs, among many other rare and unique research materials.<ref>{{cite web|title=L. Tom Perry Special Collections: Welcome from the Department Chair|url=http://sites.lib.byu.edu/sc/about-us/welcome-from-the-department-chair/|website=sites.lib.byu.edu|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref> Since its inception, the special collections have been housed in numerous places including the crawl space of a university building and a wholesale grocery warehouse. Since 2016, the special collections have been located on the first floor of the [[Harold B. Lee Library]] and is considered to hold "the finest collection of rare books in the Intermountain West and the second finest Mormon collection in existence".<ref name= 'Flake Obituary'>{{cite news|title=Obituary: John Chad Flake|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/991482/Obituary-Chad-John-Flake.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923030333/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/991482/Obituary-Chad-John-Flake.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 September 2016|access-date=26 May 2016|work=The Deseret News|date=21 June 2003|location=Salt Lake City, Utah}}</ref>

==Early collections (pre-1955)==
Recording and preserving history had been an important part of the mission of BYU even before an official archive was established. Documentation of BYU began in 1875 and has grown since then. Early efforts to collect included a Brigham Young Academy expedition to South America in 1900–1901. The purpose of the expedition was to look for evidences to support [[The Book of Mormon]]; collectors gathered field notes, photos, botany samples, and correspondences.<ref name="50th video" />

Before the official inception of the university's archives and special collections, BYU had already collected rare and expensive books and manuscripts that were housed in various places. One collection was the "Locked Case" collection, housed in a locked bookcase in the head librarian's office.<ref name="Mormon Americana" />{{rp|122}} By 1925, what would eventually become the university's special collections stacks were relocated to a small manuscript room in the Grant Library.<ref name="Mormon Americana">{{cite book|last1=Whittaker|first1=David J.|title=Mormon Americana: A Guide to Sources and Collections in the United States|date=1995|publisher=BYU Studies|location=Provo, Utah|isbn=0-8425-2315-4}}</ref>{{rp|101}} In the 1930s, BYU professor Wilford Poulson began to collect copies of various [[Mormon]] diaries,<ref name="Mormon Americana" /> and staff librarian Newburn I. Butt transcribed and indexed hundreds of others.<ref name= "Centennial History">{{cite archive |first=Hattie M. |last=Knight |item =Brigham Young University Library Centennial History, 1875–1975 |item-url= https://search.lib.byu.edu/byu/record/lee.326769?holding=lzoos5fpffikyfu9 |type =Textual record|date = 1976|page=83 |pages= |fonds = |series = |file = |box= |collection =Americana Collection |collection-url = |repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref>

S. Lyman Tyler was appointed library director in 1954 and from the beginning of his term he was particularly interested in establishing a university archival program.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program">{{cite journal|last1=Daines|first1=J. Gordon|title=The Inception of Brigham Young University's Archival Program, 1956–1962|journal=BYU Studies Quarterly|date=2015|volume=54|issue=2|pages=123–147}}</ref>{{rp|126}} Tyler was a member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA),<ref name="American Archivist">{{cite journal|last1=Lethbridge|first1=Mary C.|title=News Notes|journal=The American Archivist|date=Apr 1955|volume=18|issue=2|pages=187–191 |doi=10.17723/aarc.18.2.fp41158788812480 |jstor=40289340|doi-access=free}}</ref> and looked to the organization for guidance on how to establish a university archive.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" /> As early as the year he was appointed library director, Tyler was having informal conversations with university administrators about the importance of establishing a university archival system.<ref name= "Lyman to Bliss">{{cite archive |first= S. Lyman|last= Tyler |item =Lyman Tyler to Bliss Crandall, Clyde Sandgren, Lucille Specer, and Kieger Sauls=|item-url= |type =Textual record|date = 1976|page= |pages= |fonds = |series = UA 549|file = 1|box= 1|collection =Harold B. Lee Library records|collection-url = http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/byu-archives/resources/upb_ua549|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref>

==Establishing a university archive (1955–1965)==

===Archive directive===
On 26 March 1956, BYU president [[Ernest L. Wilkinson]] sent out a university directive that stated, "The director of libraries is also designated historian and archivist for the Unified Church School System."<ref>{{cite archive |first=S. Lyman |last=Tyler |item =Ernest L. Wilkinson to S. Lyman Tyler |item-url=|type =Textual record|date = 26 March 1956|page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 614 |file =2 |box=38 |collection =University Archives |collection-url =https://search.lib.byu.edu/byu/record/lee.947657?holding=uo2vmps9x5y1lq1z |repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> Effectively, this directive authorized the library director as an archivist as well, putting Tyler in an administrative position to create an archival system at BYU.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" /> In August 1956, Tyler appointed Ralph Hansen to establish an archive at BYU. He began his efforts in September, housing the first documents in the attic of the [[Karl G. Maeser Building]].<ref name="4th annual report"/> This established the first archives at a Utah institution of higher learning.<ref name="Preserve Rare Doc">{{cite news|title=Archives Preserve Rare Documents|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/7783732/?terms=university%2Barchives|access-date=7 September 2016|work=The Daily Herald|date=17 December 1957}}</ref>

Tyler and Hansen evaluated university records to determine which ones would have long-term value. These documents were stored in acid-free folders or placed in Fiberdex cases. The two especially worked to preserve records from BYU presidents,<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" /> gathering documents BYU presidents like [[Benjamin Cluff]], [[George H. Brimhall]], [[Franklin S. Harris]], and [[Howard S. McDonald]].<ref name="4th annual report" /> Hansen also reached out to university professors to begin collecting more current records from the faculty and staff. These records included syllabi, meeting minutes, and correspondence papers.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" />

===Official beginning===
In January 1957, the Department of Special Collections was officially established as a separate department of the library.<ref name="Centennial History" /> Its responsibilities would include managing all unique, rare books and manuscripts along with the archives that had previously been stored. Chad Flake was appointed as the department head. The collection started with 1,000 books, 50 manuscript collections, and 1 curator.<ref name="4th annual report" /> The creation of a new collections department inevitably led to administrative changes concerning what items would be included. Some of the archives that had been stored were retained by Special Collections like the Burns collection and the Hafen collection, while others were incorporated into other collections like the Mormon Americana Collection, which contained books related to Mormonism and [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) and sought to acquire all publications about the church and all periodicals published by the church. Books that were included in Special Collections had to be printed in Europe before 1800 or printed in America before 1850; however, materials from a later date were accepted if they were considered rare due to high cost, were limited edition, or had pertinent content. Many BYU materials were left to the archivists as well.<ref name="Centennial History" />

===Manuscript collecting===
In 1957, Hansen was put in charge of manuscript collecting, and by 1958, he emphasized the manuscript collecting department in Special Collections.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" /> The next year the archives were forced off-campus due to space limitations; Special Collections was housed in the storage area of the Utah Wholesale Grocery Warehouse where it stayed from 1959 to 1960.<ref name="3rd annual report">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item =Third Annual Report |item-url=|type =Textual record|date =|page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 1068 |file =5 |box=15 |collection =University Archives records |collection-url =http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/byu-archives/archival_objects/ref13_82x|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> During that time period, Hansen took a sabbatical to complete his Ph.D. and Donald T. Schmidt was assigned as acting University Archivist.<ref name="4th annual report">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item =Fourth Annual Report |item-url=|type =Textual record|date = |page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 1068 |file =5 |box=15 |collection =University Archives records |collection-url =http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/byu-archives/archival_objects/ref13_82x|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref>

Hansen returned to BYU in 1961 and began to collect items pertaining to "mining history, economic history, and things that no one else was collecting at the time." He argued that "BYU should search out Western mining records, railroad records, public utility records, transportation records, and cowboy history."<ref name="Hansen to Hidy">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item =Ralph W. Hansen to Ralph W. Hidy |item-url=|type =Textual record|date = 21 August 1962|page= |pages= |fonds = |series =MSS 295 |file =2 |box=4 |collection = Ralph W. Hansen Papers|collection-url =|repository = Special Collections and Archives|institution =Boise State University |location =Boise, Idaho |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> Hansen was enthusiastic about the expanding manuscript collection and tried to get the students and faculty more involved in utilizing it.<ref name="5th annual report">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item =Fifth Annual Report |item-url=|type =Textual record|date =11 April 1961|page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 549 |file =3 |box=1 |collection =University Archives |collection-url =|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> These early efforts to expand Special Collections laid the foundation for the wide variety of collecting areas that BYU is now recognized for.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" /> Delbert Roach, the university archivist appointed after Hansen, said, "The Brigham Young University is vitally interested in preserving the history of western America and especially Utah. It was this interest that prompted the Brigham Young University to provide the finest facilities for the preservation of manuscripts, personal records, diaries, letters, business records and similar records in its new library."<ref name="Roach"/>

During the 1961–1962 school year, Special Collections moved back to BYU campus; it was housed in the library of BYU's [[J. Reuben Clark Law School]]. Hansen played an integral role in transporting both archival materials and other papers to their new homes.<ref name="6th annual report">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item =Sixth Annual Report |item-url=|type =Textual record|date = |page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 1068 |file =5 |box=15 |collection =University Archives records |collection-url =http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/17/resources/9632|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> By this time the collection contained the [[Arthur V. Watkins]] papers, [[James E. Talmage]] papers, Peerless Coal Co. records, Bamberger Railway Records, [[Herald R. Clark]] papers, [[L. John Nuttall]] papers, and [[Jesse Knight]] Investment Company records.<ref name="Roach">{{cite archive |first=Delbert |last=Roach |item =Delbert E. Roach to Robert E. McConaughy |item-url=|type =Textual record|date = 20 November 1962|page= |pages= |fonds = |series =UA 549 |file =8 |box=1 |collection =University Archives|collection-url =|repository =L. Tom Perry Special Collections |institution =Brigham Young University |location =Provo, Utah |oclc= |accession= }}</ref> Hansen left BYU in 1962 and was replaced by Roach. Roach remained enthusiastic about manuscript collecting, but left the university after about a year; Hollis Scott was then appointed the university archivist.<ref name="Inception of Archival Program" />

==Expanding Special Collections (1965 to present)==
By 1965, Special Collections contained a hand-written Bible from the 13th century and a first-edition copy of ''The Federalist'' by [[James Madison]], [[John Jay]], and [[Alexander Hamilton]]. Many of the early materials acquired in the collections were donated directly to BYU or purchased with monetary donations.<ref name="Rare beautiful books">{{cite news|title=Campus Library Contains Rare and Beautiful Books|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/11082416/|access-date=9 September 2016|work=The Sunday Herald|date=30 October 1965}}</ref> Special Collections continued to grow, and in 1969 the [[Newel K. Whitney]] Collection was acquired, followed by the [[M. Wilford Poulsen]] library in 1970.<ref name="Mormon Americana" />{{rp|126}} In 1974, Special Collections held an exhibit of Mormon literature that was considered "one of the finest collections of 1830 to 1875 Mormon literature in existence." An exhibit of the collection included a first edition Book of Mormon, a copy of the first LDS hymnal, and a first-edition ''[[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]]''.<ref name="original mormon">{{cite news|title=Original Mormon Books on display at 'Y' Library|work=The Daily Herald|date=11 April 1974|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/6456957/?terms=%22BYU%2Bspecial%2Bcollections%22}}</ref> Small and large collections continue to be donated to Special Collections each year.<ref name="Mormon Americana" />{{rp|128}}

In May 2000, the Department of Special Collections was renamed to the L. Tom Perry Special Collections after [[L. Tom Perry]], an LDS Church [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]]. Department chairs include Scott Duvall (1999–2002), P. Bradford Westwood (2002–2009), Russ Taylor (2009–2014), J. Gordon Daines III (2014–2020), Tom Wells (2020-2021), and Dainan Skeem (2021-present).<ref name="finding aid">{{Cite archival metadata
|author = Olivia Serafin
|title =L. Tom Perry Special Collections project records
|url = https://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/byu-archives/archival_objects/4042dfb415a8d84eaf002e6e5fe716a9
|url-status
|repository = L. Tom Perry Special Collections
|location = Provo, Utah
|date = 31 March 2016
|accessdate = 9 September 2016
}}</ref>

==Collections==

===19th, 20th, and 21st century Western and Mormon manuscripts===
BYU has several collections that cover the history of Mormonism from its inception in 1830. The 19th Century Collections contain documents and artifacts related to mining, Indian history, religion, and westward migration.<ref name="19th">{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Ryan|title=19th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/19thcentury/|website=Mormonism, Utah, and the West|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022061622/https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/19thcentury/|archive-date=22 October 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The 20th Century Collection contains documents from [[Reed Smoot]], [[David M. Kennedy (politician)|David M. Kennedy]], and many mission diaries that reflect the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<ref name="20th">{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=John M.|title=20th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/20thcentury/|website=Mormonism, Utah, and the West|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172105/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/20thcentury/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The 21st Century Collection, likewise, seeks to collect and preserve history from this century related to social, religious, political, racial, and business history of Utah and the church.<ref name="21st">{{cite web|last1=Skeem|first1=Dainan|title=21st Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/21stcentury/|website=Mormonism, Utah, and the West|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172116/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/21stcentury/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Arts and Communications Archive===
The Arts and Communications Archive has records and materials from [[Cecil B. DeMille]], [[Howard Hawks]], and [[Merian C. Cooper]].<ref name="50th video">
{{cite AV media
| people = James D'Arc, Scott Duvall, Maggie Kopp, Russ Taylor, Gordon Daines, Tom Wells, John Murphy, Larry Draper, and Brad Westwood
| year = 2006
| title = L. Tom Perry Special Collections: 50th Anniversary
| language = en
| url = http://byugle.lib.byu.edu/player.php?vid=1299
| access-date = 7 September 2016
| publisher = Brigham Young University
}}{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> This archive collects material related to the performing arts, in particular motion pictures, art, journalism, and television broadcasting. This archive contains television episodes from director [[Henry S. Kesler]], and papers of actor [[James Stewart]], [[Harry Carey (actor)|Harry Carey]], and [[Robert Cummings]].<ref name="Arts & comms">{{cite web|last1=D'Arc|first1=James|title=Arts & Communications Archives|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/artcomm/artscom/|website=Arts & Communications|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172136/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/artcomm/artscom/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===BYU Film Music Archives and Motion Picture Archive===
The BYU Film Music Archives was officially established in 1996, although the library had begun collecting materials that are now found in the archive over 20 years before.<ref name="film Music BYU">{{cite web|last1=D'Arc|first1=James V.|title=BYU Film Music Archives|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/artcomm/filmmusic/|website=Arts and Communications|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172140/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/artcomm/filmmusic/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The archive now contains the complete collection from Republic Pictures<ref name="film archive deseret news">{{cite news|last1=Wadley|first1=Carma|title=Keeping score: BYU shares its movie-music archives with the world|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/945843/Keeping-score-BYU-shares-its-movie-music-archives-with-the-world.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923033859/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/945843/Keeping-score-BYU-shares-its-movie-music-archives-with-the-world.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 September 2016|access-date=14 September 2016|work=Deseret News|date=31 October 2002}}</ref> as well as compositions of Max Steiner, including scores for ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' and ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' which were acquired in 1981.<ref name="50th video" /><ref name="film archive deseret news" /> Over 200 rare motion pictures have been collected and are currently in the Motion Picture Archive. These films are available to students, faculty, and the community and are shown in an auditorium in the library for free.<ref name="50th video"/>

===Literary Manuscripts and Mormon Authors===
The Literary Manuscripts collection contains a wide variety of manuscripts from English and British authors. Items acquired in this collection include correspondences of [[Charles Dickens]], [[Lewis Carroll]], and [[Lord Byron]]. There are other partial and completed manuscripts from authors [[Louisa May Alcott]], [[Leslie Norris]], and [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]. Literary Manuscripts also contains manuscripts from Mormon authors.<ref name="Lit Manu">{{cite web|last1=Young|first1=Kristi|last2=Kopp|first2=Maggie Gallup|title=Literary Manuscripts|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/literature/literary-manuscripts/|website=Literature|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107041642/https://sites.lib.byu.edu/literature/literary-manuscripts/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Mormon Authors Collection features poetry, biographies, autobiographies, and other writings from the early days of the church including Mormon women [[Eliza R. Snow]], [[Emmeline B. Wells]], and [[Mary Wooley]]. It also contains documents from authors in the 20th century, including [[Orson Scott Card]] and [[Dean Hughes]].<ref name="Mormon authors">{{cite web|last1=Young|first1=Kristi|title=Mormon Authors|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/literature/mormonlit/|website=Literature|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107041710/https://sites.lib.byu.edu/literature/mormonlit/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Music Special Collections===
This collection has manuscript scores for many instruments including harp and viola. The style of music ranges from opera, ballet, hymnals, and French chansons. The Music Special Collections contains the [[Primrose International Viola Archive]], the [[International Harp Archives]], the [[RKO]] Vaudeville Collection, and the [[George Verdak]] Collection of Dance Music. The music recordings found here include cylinders, 78 rpm discs, cassette tapes, DVDs, and other audio formats.<ref name="Music BYU">{{cite web|last1=Day|first1=David|title=Music Special Collections|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/music/music-special-collections/|website=Music|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172204/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/music/music-special-collections/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Photograph Archives===
The Photograph Archives at L. Tom Perry Special Collections works to digitize information so that it can be made available to the public online. Its photographic archives contain over a million images from the early 1850s to the present. Images in the archives are primarily of Utah and the American West. There are a number of images that represent Mormonism and the history of BYU.<ref name="50th video"/> Photograph Archives are also involved in preservation efforts. Photos in the archives are kept in a cold storage facility to extend their life.<ref name="50th video"/> It is kept at {{convert|40|F}} and the relative humidity level is 30 percent. Upon request from a patron, photos are removed from the "cold room" to a warm up room to acclimatize for 24 hours.<ref name="photo archives">
{{cite AV media
| people = Tom Wells
| date = 28 June 2012
| title = Backstage BYU
| trans-title = BYU Photo Archives
| language = en
| url = http://www.byutv.org/watch/8c6e2bf9-e445-4373-8f93-7e3fb607e9d3/backstage-byu-byu-photo-archives
| access-date = 9 September 2016
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121129212157/http://byutv.org/watch/8c6e2bf9-e445-4373-8f93-7e3fb607e9d3/backstage-byu-byu-photo-archives
| archive-date =2012-11-29
| publisher = Brigham Young University
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> One of the most notable photograph collections is the [[George Edward Anderson|George Anderson]] Collection, which contains photos of American landscapes.<ref name="Mormon Americana" />{{rp|392–393}}

===William A. Wilson Folklore Archive and Veteran's History===
The BYU Folklore collection was started by [[William A. Wilson (folklorist)|William A. Wilson]], a professor at the university. He was given a small office space to begin a folklore archive. In 1995 this archive hired its first full permanent archivist to oversee the collection. When Wilson retired, this archive became part of the Harold B. Lee Library.<ref name="folklore young">{{cite web|last1=Young|first1=Kristi|title=Folklore (William A. Wilson Folklore Archives)|url=http://guides.lib.byu.edu/folklore|website=World History & Culture|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=14 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172131/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/worldhistory/folklore-william-a-wilson-folklore-archives/|archive-date=6 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Since 1999, BYU's Folklore Collection has been a part of Special Collections. This collection includes field notes from BYU folklore students and focuses on families and the religious lives of Latter-day Saints. It is the largest collection of Mormon folklore and contains legends, songs, jokes, riddles, and personal narratives.<ref name="50th video"/> It also contains information on the culture of Utah County specifically, including information related to Provo Canyon.<ref name="50th video"/>

This collection oversees the Saints at War Project which was started in 1999 to collect stories of Latter-day Saint veterans. Materials and oral histories have been collected that range from present day to the Mormon Battalion.<ref name="50th video"/> The project was started by Robert Freeman and Dennis Wright and is in partnership with the Veterans History Project at the U.S. Library of Congress.<ref name="Saints at War lib">{{cite web|title=Saints at War|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/veterans/projects/|website=Mormonism, Utah, and the West|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=9 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106172318/http://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/veterans/projects/|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===19th and 20th century Western and Mormon Americana===
BYU's Special Collections contains a premiere collection of Mormon Americana, including almanacs, maps, hymnals, books, etc. These collections were originally compiled from the personal libraries of [[Heber J. Grant]], [[J. Reuben Clark]], Newel K. Whitney, James E. Talmage. The Western and Mormon Americana collections were later expanded to include parts of the personal libraries of [[LeRoy Hafen]], Wilford Paulson, and [[Dale Morgan]]. This collection contains rare publications like the 1830 Book of Mormon, the Morning Star, Book of Commandments 1833, and 1st Mormon hymnal 1835.<ref name="50th video"/>

The Americana collections focus on printed material that documents the west. They house many resources about Utah history, but also has material related to other states. The Americana collection contains items relating to the exploration of the [[Colorado River]]. A subset of Western Americana is the A. Dean and Jean M. Larsen Yellowstone Collection which has over 2,000 Yellowstone items<ref name="50th video"/> including books, maps, and photographs of Yellowstone.<ref name="Yellowstone">{{cite web|title=Yellowstone|url=https://sites.lib.byu.edu/muw/yellowstone/|website=Mormonism, Utah, and the West|publisher=Brigham Young University|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> It was donated to Special Collections in 2000 and is one of the finest private collections of Yellowstone material and has been expanded since its acquisition.<ref name="50th video"/>

===University Archives===
The University Archive contains over {{convert|7000|ft}} of linear records that document BYU's history. The archive has documents and photographs from each year of the school's history including items related to dance planning, and athletics and also includes copies of the school's newspaper ''The Daily Universe'' and the yearbook ''The Banyan''. University Archives acquires syllabus and course notes from various classes and students.<ref name="50th video" />

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://lib.byu.edu/special-collections/ Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121129212157/http://byutv.org/watch/8c6e2bf9-e445-4373-8f93-7e3fb607e9d3/backstage-byu-byu-photo-archives Video of BYU Photo Archives on BYUTV]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160923025736/http://www.byutv.org/watch/6217147a-a3bf-4257-99bf-60baf8a2f2aa/backstage-byu-byu-special-collections Video of BYU Special Collections on BYUTV]
*[https://magazine.byu.edu/article/saints-at-war/ Article about the Saints at War Project in BYU Magazine]
*[http://saintsatwar.com/about-the-project/ Homepage for the Saints at War Project]
*[https://archive.org/details/family_history_library FREE Books at The Internet Archive sourced from the Family History Library of BYU]

{{Brigham Young University}}
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[[Category:Special collections libraries in the United States]]
[[Category:Rare book libraries in the United States]]
[[Category:Archives in the United States]]
[[Category:Brigham Young University]]
[[Category:Libraries in Utah]]
[[Category:Libraries established in 1957]]
[[Category:1957 establishments in Utah]]

L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library - Revision history

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