The Special Collections & Archives Department of the Auburn University Libraries is located on the Ground Floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library and houses published and unpublished materials which, because of their uniqueness or condition, require special care and handling.
Special Collections & Archives collects, preserves, makes available, and publicizes institutional records, personal manuscripts, photographs, rare books, and selected artifacts in support of the research, teaching, and outreach missions of Auburn University.
The department also holds several archival and manuscript collections related to Alabama architecture, many of which have been donated through faculty members and alumni of the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction. These include records of the Alabama Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Alabama-related materials generated by the Historic American Buildings Survey, and the papers of Dr. Walter Burkhardt, the Auburn faculty member who directed the Historic American Buildings Survey in Alabama. The types of records found in the manuscript and archival collections related to Alabama architecture include photographs, measured drawings, reports, and correspondence.