Special Collections & Archives
Library 460 | (415) 405-5549 | Staff & Librarian directory
The J. Paul Leonard Library's Special Collections contains a wealth of primary source material on a wide variety of topics. The collections include manuscripts, organizational records, photographs, rare books, periodicals, audio-visual media, artwork, artifacts and ephemera. These collections support academic and personal scholarship on campus, in the wider community, and internationally. University Archives and Historic Collections holds materials which document the history of San Francisco State University since its founding.
The Special Collections reading room is open Monday through Friday from 1pm to 5pm and by appointment.
Collections
Archer Collection of Historical Children’s Books
Labor Archives & Research Center
Mae Durham Roger Children’s Book Collection
Digital Collections
ScholarWorks (Masters Theses and more)
J Paul Leonard Library content in external systems:
News, Exhibits & Events
| Item | Collection | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Exhibit: Teaching HIV/AIDS Awareness: SF State’s Pioneering Curriculum | Special Collections |
Explore how SF State exemplified its social justice mission during the early AIDS crisis with pioneering curriculum, workshops, and peer education developed by the SFSU AIDS Coordinating Committee. |
 |
Relevant Education! SF State’s struggle for Ethnic Studies | Special Collections |
Examine iconic images and texts from the SF State Strike Collection housed in the University Archives.
4th floor.
|
 |
WORKING HANDS: FRANK SILVA WATERFRONT PHOTOGRAPHS | LARC |
Frank Silva's photography of the Oakland waterfront from 1978 through 1988. |
 |
Magic, Dragons, and Unicorns in the J. Paul Leonard Library | Special Collections |
Magically themed books about dragons, unicorns, mystical beings, and wizards selected from the Historic Collections and the Children’s Book Collections. |
 |
Read All About It: A Century of Publishing at San Francisco State | Special Collections |
Come see a small sampling of publications produced at San Francisco State from 1910 to 2016. |