Paul Meek Library FAQs

Alliene and Jimmie S. Corbitt Special Collections includes rare and unique primary sources, most of which are specific to West Tennessee. These materials include genealogy resources, photographs, maps, manuscripts, UTM yearbooks, and more! See below for more info on the specific parts of Special Collections, including the West Tennessee Heritage Study Center (genealogy resources), the J. Houston Gordon Museum, and the University Archives, including some online exhibits. Please note:

• Special Collections is located on the 1st floor. After you enter, make a left and go past the circulation desk
• Special Collections material must be used on site and cannot be checked out
• No food or drink is allowed in Special Collections
• Please use pencils or a laptop to take notes
• The Museum and Archives are open 8am - 4:30pm M-F
• The West TN Heritage Study Center is open during regular library hours
• For more info, contact archivist Sam Richardson at (731) 881-7094, or chat with us to ask for help

West Tennessee Heritage Study Center

This room primarily houses materials that can help with genealogy research. Includes resources like:

• HeritageQuest
  • Online genealogical records database from Ancestry.com. Access provided by the Tennessee Electronic Library under an appropriate from the State Legislature. 
  • To access this resouce, click the link above for West Tennessee Heritage Study Center and scroll down to HeritageQuest
  • You must be on campus to access HeritageQuest
• Population surveys from Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina
• Books on TN counties, particularly counties in Northwest TN
• Microfilm
  • Newspapers
  • Public records
  • Census records
• General genealogical reference books

J. Houston Gordon Museum

This 400 sq. ft. space features a rotating collection of unique materials that have been selected and showcased to benefit the UTM community. The J. Houston Gordon Museum is open 8am to 4pm M-F. 

University Archives

Includes records important to UTMartin's history including:

• Course catalogs
• Faculty and student handbooks
• Meeting minutes, bulletins, and newsletters
• Office of the Chancellor 
• Accounting ledgers 
• Photographs
• Ephemera

Online Exhibits 

• A Virtual History of Hall-Moody Institute
• A Virtual History of The University of Tennessee at Martin
• Chancellors of the University of Tennessee at Martin
• Civil War Diaries of Van Buren Oldham
• Weakley County - A Virtual History
• A History of Martin, Tennessee