Documentary History of the College of Charleston: College of Charleston Primary Sources

The Special Collections Department of the College of Charleston was founded to support the teaching and learning mission of the College of Charleston and to promote scholarship on the South Carolina Lowcountry and the broader Atlantic World. It is located on the third floor of the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library. Its holdings include over 600 manuscript collections related to the history and culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the archives of the College of Charleston, the Spoleto Festival Archives, and more than 40,000 rare books and pamphlets.

The mission of the Avery Research Center is to evaluate, acquire, organize, preserve and make available materials that document the African American experience in Charleston, the Lowcountry, South Carolina, and beyond. Avery Research Center is home to approximately 200 manuscript collections, varying in size from a few items to over 50 linear feet; over 4,000 photographs; hundreds of reels of microfilm, VHS tapes, clipping files, and digital formats. There are dozens of collections of artifacts ranging from those that document slavery to material culture from West Africa and a sweet grass basket collection.

The SCHS is the state’s oldest and largest private repository of books, letters, journals, maps, drawings, and photographs about South Carolina history. It's mission is “to expand, preserve, and make accessible our invaluable collection, and to encourage interest and pride in the rich history of our state.” The South Carolina Historical Society Archives is located on the third floor of the Addlestone Library on the campus of the College of Charleston (205 Calhoun Street).