The Archives & Special Collections department preserves historical materials of Liberty University and related entities such as:
- Affiliated Organizations—Liberty Christian Academy, Chaplains Museum, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
- Falwell Family Papers—Materials by or about the family of Liberty’s founder, Jerry Falwell Sr.
- Falwell Ministries—Old Time Gospel Hour, Liberty Godparent Home, and Elim Home
- Liberty University Oral Histories—Accounts of the founding and history of the university as told by alumni, faculty, administrators, and others
- Liberty University School Newspaper—University newspapers published by faculty and students
- Thomas Road Baptist Church—Church founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. and led by his son Jonathan Falwell
This department also preserves other primary source materials that support the university’s mission or that are of enduring value as outlined in the Special Collections Policy. These include, but are not limited to the following:
- Archives & Special Collections Digital Books—Digitized print books from the Archives & Special Collections
- Christian Fiction—Cross-section of the genre for study
- Conservative Caucus—Records of the organization and its founder, Howard Phillips
- Hymnal Collection—Core collection of Christian hymnals, music instruction, and general historic music scores
- The James and Shelley Lutzweiler Hymnal Collection—Core collection of Christian hymnals, music instruction, and general historic music scores
- Military Oral Histories—Accounts by military personnel, including World War II veterans and civilians who worked with the armed services
- Miscellaneous Materials—Materials of historical value that do not readily fit into another main collecting category
- Moral Majority—Materials generated by the organization founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. and others
- New London Collection—Materials related to the historic town of New London, Virginia
- Personal Papers—Personal papers of historically significant individuals who have donated materials to the archives
- Rowlette Civil War Book Collection—Materials covering the topics of religion during the mid-nineteenth century in the United States
- Sunday School Collection—Materials related to the history of the Sunday school movement
- Sunday-School Times—Weekly newspaper from 1859-1966
Access to Materials
The Digital Collections platform provides access to digitized archival materials and to Collection Guides that detail the scope and nature of physical items. Physical items can be accessed in the Archives on the Terrace Level of the Jerry Falwell Library during the Archives’ hours of operation. Upon request, physical items can be reviewed for possible digitization to provide online access.
The Archives Policy governs access to all materials in this department.
Donations
Visit the donations page for details on materials of interest to the Archives & Special Collections as well as other ways that you can support the Jerry Falwell Library.
Other Special Collections
In addition to the materials in the Archives & Special Collections department, the Jerry Falwell Library maintains several other unique or specialized collections.
- Curriculum Library—PreK-12 instructional resources and juvenile literature
- Jerry Falwell Museum—Museum dedicated to the life and ministry of Liberty’s founder, Jerry Falwell Sr.
- Scholars Crossing—Digital collection of scholarship produced by students and faculty of the University, including dissertations and theses
Contact Information
You can visit the Archives & Special Collections on the Terrace Level of the Jerry Falwell Library during the Archives’ hours of operation. You can also email archives@liberty.edu or call (434) 592-6230 with any questions related to the Archives & Special Collections.