Rare books held by Tulane University Special Collections (TUSC) can be found using Library Search. Please note that newer acquisitions may still be in process and not found in the catalog. For inquiries regarding books that are not yet cataloged, please contact specialcollections@tulane.edu.
TUSC's map holdings extend from 1513 to the present, with about 400 maps dating from before 1799. Among the collection's diverse holdings are early maps of North America and the vast territory of Louisiana. Louisiana maps include state and regional topographic maps, maps of vegetation zones and natural resources, parish and highway maps, and plans of New Orleans which trace the city's development since its founding in 1718. The collection also includes Mississippi River Commission's Survey of the Mississippi and U.S. Coast Survey charts of the Gulf of Mexico's coastal waters.
Selections of Louisiana Maps from 1513-1900 have been digitized and are available via the Tulane University Digital Library.
Map collections can be searched using the preliminary inventories below:
| Maps, Alphabetical | |
| New Orleans and Louisiana Maps | |
| World Maps |
TUSC's extensive holdings of original Louisiana newspapers date from 1800 to the present. Historical newspapers can also be found using Library Search. Please note the following:
- Older newspapers are stored offsite and require two business days notice to retrieve.
- Newspapers with current subscriptions are housed onsite.
- Many current newspapers are also available in Howard-Tilton Memorial Library.
You may wish to consult the Tulane University Libraries "News and Newspapers Library Guide." The guide includes descriptions of the extensive newspaper holdings that have been digitized and are available online. The online newspaper guide will help you find and access the digital versions, and it also describes Tulane's microfilm newspaper holdings. Please note the guide has two separate tabs for newspapers, one for current newspapers and one for historical Louisiana newspapers.
Many of the collection's historical Louisiana newspapers have been digitized through the Louisiana Newspaper Project based at LSU-Baton Rouge, which has identified, located, and cataloged more than 1,700 Louisiana newspaper titles dating as far back as 1794.
TUSC preserves a number of serials and magazines that reflect the wide range of subjects related to its collecting areas. Serials and magazines are stored onsite and can be found using Library Search.
Printed materials collected by University Archives such as historical pamphlets, course catalogs, histories of Tulane University and of Newcomb College, presidential speeches, commencement addresses, yearbooks, and other volumes on a variety of topics are also searchable via Library Search by adding "Tulane University" to a keyword search.
Dissertations and Theses
The University Archives holds bound print copies of Honors and Master's theses and Doctoral dissertations. They are cataloged and can be found using Library Search.
The majority of Honors and Master’s theses are only available in paper format. To consult paper copies in the TUSC reading room, please contact specialcollections@tulane.edu. While doctoral theses written before 1956 are only available in paper, most dissertations written since 1956 are also available digitally through Scholarship at Tulane, a subcollection of Tulane University Digital Collections and ProQuest's Dissertations and Theses database. Tulane affiliates and others who have access to the ProQuest digital library may download these doctoral dissertations at no charge. Non-Tulane affiliates may purchase dissertation copies through the ProQuest Dissertation Express service. Additional information is available via the Theses and Dissertations Library Guide.
Tulane University Yearbooks
Jambalaya, the Tulane University yearbook, was first published in 1896. It was not published from 1997-2003, nor in 2007. The yearbooks are available in Tulane University Digital Collections and via the Internet Archive.
T-Wave, the Tulane University School of Medicine yearbook, was first published in 1982. They have been digitized and are available in Tulane University Digital Collections and via the Internet Archive.