Special Collections and University Archives

Special Collections & University Archives

Located on the second floor of the Frederick Douglass Library, the Special Collections and University Archives Department’s collections are housed in secure stack areas where environmental conditions are carefully monitored to ensure a stable temperature and humidity within ranges appropriate for the preservation of special materials. The department also maintains an exhibit room used to mount periodic exhibits, which highlight its holdings or reflects special themes and subjects. University Archives and the Eastern Shore Reference Collection are components of the Special Collections Department.

The department specializes in the acquisition, preservation and use of material that documents the history, culture, and literature of African Americans and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, as well as the historical development of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Exhibit Room Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, or by appointment

Archives Hours
Contact Kathy Griffin, Special Collections Librarian and Archivist, for requests at umesarchives@umes.edu or (410) 651-7696. Archive hours are by appointment only.

Collection Information:

Digital Collections
The department is currently in the process of digitizing archival material, like course catalogs, student newsletters and photographs, including those of the campus, homecoming, graduation, student life, sports, athletics, Greek organizations, among others.

African American (Black Collection)
This collection is housed in Special Collections, Room 1 (2113). The focus of the collection is African American History, culture, and literature encompassing mostly out-of-print, rare, and first editions. Many of these titles circulate in-house only.

Eastern Shore Reference Collection
The Eastern Shore Reference Collection is a collection of books, clippings, photographs, correspondence, reports, maps and related items, which document the history and culture of the Eastern Shore of Maryland (especially Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties).

Dissertations and Theses
Special Collections houses all UMES published theses and dissertations in print format, and the library is in the process of digitizing those written by graduates of UMES.

To access a thesis or dissertation written before 2026, please refer to our catalog and request the materials.
All theses and dissertations published in 2026 and onward will be automatically uploaded to SOAR@UMES, an open access digital repository. This allows all research created by UMES students to be available to the public worldwide for free, ensuring lasting digital access, increasing visibility and establishing students’ publishing careers. For more information, see SOAR@UMES Digital Repository or the Graduate Studies Guide.

Library Mural (Read more on Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Mural [PDF])

William P. Hytche Legacy Museum:

Located in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center, the museum honors the life and legacy of Dr. William P. Hytche, Sr., who served 21 years as the 10^th Chief Executive Officer at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. For more information, contact the Frederick Douglass Library at (410) 651-7696 or (410) 651-6622.

UMES Yearbooks (1959-2009):

The yearbook collection is the first digitization effort from our Special Collections department. We are excited to share this part of UMES history with you. Special thanks are given to the Division of Institutional Advancement, Office of Alumni Affairs and Planned Giving for funding this project.

There are several viewing options. You can choose from a variety of formats, page through a book choosing the “read online” option, download the PDF or search the full text version. The PDF files are compressed for easy download but depending on the size of the original, the compression can lead them to have lower quality. So we recommend reviewing via Read Online as those are generated from the master jpeg2000 files.

The Hawk Yearbook Online Collection

Finding Aids:

Finding aids are guides to help you locate documents and records in the University Archives collection. The Office of the President is the first finding aid that has been worked on. Additional materials will be added to this finding aid and others as they are completed. Once you find an item of interest, please come to the second floor of the library at the Special Collections Desk and ask to see the file in question. You must have either a Hawk Card ID or a valid driver’s license to view the item(s). If you are located a great distance from campus, please contact Sharon Brooks, Acting Director of Library Services at sdbrooks@umes.edu or call (410) 651-6275 for other arrangements.

Office of the President (Historical Note and Contents [PDF])

University Archives:

As the official depository for the permanent records of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the collection scope includes the entire history of the institution from 1886 to the present. The department actively solicits manuscripts, personal papers, photographs, and other research material documenting the history of UMES and its parent institutions.

Collection development focuses on unpublished materials such as correspondence, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, and research files. Proper security and care are provided for donated materials. Several of our larger manuscript collections bear names of their donors. You can help preserve our institution’s heritage as well as African American and Eastern Shore heritage by donating historical records to the Archives and Manuscript Collections, which in addition to UMES records, also collects records of:

Organizations
Churches
Businesses
Individuals and Families
Social Groups
Professional Groups

Types of materials sought are: Letters, Publications, Reports, Scrapbooks, Minutes, Videotapes, Diaries, Tape Recordings, Photographs, Films, Memorabilia, and Artifacts.

University Archives Content

Institutional Reports
Photograph Collection
Yearbook Collection
University Records
University Catalogues
University Publications
Records of the Library [PDF]

Manuscript Collections

Richard A. Henson Collection
John Taylor Williams Collection
J. Thomas Tilghman Collection (Funeral Bulletins)
Evelyn’s Village Inn Collection
Waters Family Collection
Metropolitan United Methodist Church Records
Miles Family Papers
Greene-Spellman Family Papers
Daniel Rideout Papers
Sammie Thomas Papers
Lauren Taylor Collection of the Delaware Conference Annual Report, 1884-19-
Taylor/Connor Estate Postcard Collection (Ocean City)
John Wennersten Research Files
Joel Schor Papers
Frank Trigg Family Papers

UMES History Project (January 2021-December 2022):

Formerly known as Speaking Volumes Faculty Reading Group, the UMES History Project was a faculty interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research initiative that sought to bring the treasures of the Frederick Douglass Library archives to life for the campus community and to a wider audience.

Founding members: Dr. Gabriela Vlahovici-Jones, Dr. Kathryn Barrett-Gaines, Sharon Brooks, Janet Dewey Eke, Dr. Linda Joyce Forristal and Dr. Alisha Norwood.

Research productions include:

UMES Back in the Day Roundtable Discussion [April 29, 2021] – Flyer [PDF]
UMES Back in the Day: Retention Survives WWII [November 11, 2021] – Flyer [PDF]
NeMLA Conference Roundtable Presentation: Finding Fun & Fellowship in the Archives [March 12, 2022]
Once Upon A Time: A Week in the Life of Devenia Pinder [April 29, 2022] – Video Recording

Special Collections Services

Reference, Referral and Research Assistance
Interpretive and Informative Exhibits
Photocopy Service and Photo Print Duplication
Department Tours

Last Revised: 8/24/2026