The Southwest Collection Archives acquires, preserves, and makes accessible archival collections of regional, national, and international significance.
The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University holds archives of national and international significance. It is one of the one of the top academic research repositories in the country. The marquee unit of the institution is the Southwest Collection, which encompasses millions leaves of documents, over a hundred thousand books, millions of photographs, thousands of or
06/16/2025
Happy ! 🌎🐢In honor of this holiday celebrating the ocean’s cutest creature, we are showcasing several collections that feature all sorts of turtles and tortoises.
For more information about these turtly collections, access the links here: https://txarchives.org/ttusw/finding_aids/20284.xml, https://txarchives.org/ttusw/finding_aids/40041.xml.
***
06/12/2025
Each Thursday, we will post 2-3 images with either unidentified buildings or people in our Lubbock Pictorial collection. If you can identify the place(s) or person(s), please leave a comment with your response below the post.
Photo 1: Neil Boarding House, Lubbock, circa 1901. Man and girl not identified.
Photo 2: Local ranchers in Kansas City, 1914.
Photo 3: Green family (individuals not included).
Our goal is to address the gaps in this collection and provide future researchers with more background on these historic Lubbock photographs! We hope you all will visit our page and look over the images each Thursday! Please share with friends and family!
06/09/2025
Happy International Archives Day! Today's department feature highlights Reference Services and the Holden Reading Room. Our wonderful Reference Staff, Shelby Newman and Whitney Johns, provide access to our archival materials and welcome researchers, classes, and tours. For research inquiries or to schedule a visit, please contact [email protected] or (806) 742-9070.
Frederick and Kittie Hills traveled for four months around Europe from May to September in 1882. During their travels, Frederick kept a diary with locations marking quality cattle breeds and local breeders to purchase livestock for his Ohio farm. Penciled sketches and illustrations accompany his thoughts and experiences with cattle raisers in Europe in this noteworthy account of the Hills’ journey.
Access the finding aid for the Frederick P. Hills Papers here: https://txarchives.org/ttusw/finding_aids/02024.xml
***
06/05/2025
Each Thursday, we will post 2-3 images with either unidentified buildings or people in our Lubbock Pictorial collection. If you can identify the place(s) or person(s), please leave a comment with your response below the post.
Photo 1: Great Plains Potato Co. Truck and Men.
Photo 2: Unidentified early Lubbock residence.
Photo 3: Caldwell and Porter store with 4 men in front. Men identified 2 different ways: (L to R) 1. Frank Tubbs, Luther Caldwell, ?, Elder Penny. 2. ?, Oscar Tubbs, J.J. Dillard, Frank Tubbs.
Our goal is to address the gaps in this collection and provide future researchers with more background on these historic Lubbock photographs. We hope you all will visit our page and look over the images each Thursday! Please share with friends and family!
In the early twentieth century, entertainment appeared in the form of tent shows in small, isolated towns. These theatrical performance groups provided a night of spectacle in tents constructed outdoors. Each night, performers prepared affordable, live routines that excited all ages and drew crowds until the group moved on to the next town.
The Southwest Collection houses several collections featuring tent shows and artists within the companies who traveled around the world to entertain. To access more information about these groups or tent shows using the links here:
https://swco-ir.tdl.org/items/8da983b3-ea43-4df7-86b6-09d45b7be398
https://swco-ir.tdl.org/items/d28b357a-7cab-48dc-bad4-ab7f12b33caf
https://swco-ir.tdl.org/items/8275c0fb-8f79-44f4-8013-073bf8f95ae7
***
05/30/2025
05/29/2025
Each Thursday, we will post 2-3 images with either unidentified buildings or people in our Lubbock Pictorial collection. If you can identify the place(s) or person(s), please leave a comment with your response below the post.
Photo 1: Bales of cotton, Lubbock.
Photo 2: Ellwood Cotton Shipment.
Our goal is to address the gaps in this collection and provide future researchers with more background on these historic Lubbock photographs! We hope you all will visit our page and look over the images each Thursday! Please share with friends and family!
05/26/2025
We are closed today in observance of Memorial Day. These images come from the University Archives collection and show the beginnings of Texas Tech's Memorial Circle, which was dedicated in 1948 for those "whose service has brought honor to college and country." The Circle now includes the Texas Tech Wall of Honor and the Texas Tech Military & Veterans Tribute Walk.
05/22/2025
Each Thursday, we will post 2-3 images with either unidentified buildings or people in our Lubbock Pictorial collection. If you can identify the place(s) or person(s), please leave a comment with your response below the post.
Photo 1: Dunbar school children, early 1940s.
Photo 2: Folsom man diggings at Blackwater Draw.
Photo 3: Two boys standing in a cotton field.
Our goal is to address the gaps in this collection and provide future researchers with more background on these historic Lubbock photographs! We hope you all will visit our page and look over the images each Thursday! Please share with friends and family!
05/21/2025
In honor of National Preservation Month, we wanted to highlight the Hoblitzelle Conservation Lab located in the Southwest Collection Library. In 1996, the Hoblitzelle Foundation provided a grant for a facility centered around the repair and stabilization of library and archival materials at Texas Tech. Nicci Hester, the conservationist at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, showcases in these images just some of the work she does to preserve and maintain archival collections in-house.
For more information on our facility, visit our website: https://swco.ttu.edu/swcgeneral.php
***