Welcome to Special Collections
The Reading Room
The Special Collections unit of the Michigan State University Libraries collects, houses, and preserves rare and unique materials within the MSU Libraries. Our materials cover a vast array of topics from Africana to Veterinary Medicine. These materials are available to the public in our reading room.
Special Collections is also responsible for all preservation related activities in the MSU Libraries.
Discover Special Collections
The Agricultural Equipment Collection which features 3500 agricultural machinery sales catalogs, promotional brochures, price lists, owner's manuals, and illustrated parts lists, provides an important illustrated panorama of the history of agricultural machinery from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s- from the height of the steam engine to the development of the gasoline powered tractor. While the major emphasis lies in tractors and threshers, the entire range of farm equipment can be found in this collection representing some 150 different manufacturers and suppliers primarily based in the Midwest and Canada.
