the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Libraries

Preservation of historical records and public documents provides the only means for future generations to understand the past.  Monuments call to mind significant events, but only records provide the basis for historical narratives, insight, and understanding.  With these records, the Southwest Collection and the University Archives on the campus of Texas Tech University stands as a repository of the collective memory of West Texas and the Southwest.  Using the archives, researchers can study and understand the people, the places, and events of the American Southwest.

Records generally come from both the public and private sector.  Private citizens, organizations, business, and other records generating groups donate their records and papers to the Archives for purposes of contributing to the history of the region and thus preserving their heritage.

For more information, go the the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Libraries webpage