Special Collections and the Union College Archives are located on the third floor of the library. They operate under a closed stack policy, with daily hours designated for public access. Materials from this area do not circulate and must be used in Special Collections. Hours are listed outside the Special Collections doorway and also on the library website. The designation "Special Collections" appears on some of the cards in the Card Catalog and in records in the online catalog. If you are interested in any of these materials, copy down the call number or computer printout and the members of the reference staff will direct you to this part of the library.
Special Collections maintained by Schaffer Library include:
- College Archives & Union Book Collection
- Bailey Collection of North American Wit and Humor
- First Purchase Collection (Volumes acquired to set up the first library of the college)
- Rare Book Collection
- Schenectady Collection of Local History
- Dudley Observatory Rare Books Collection
- The original Ramee drawings for the campus.
- Numerous other manuscript and archival collections are also housed in this area.