University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. North Carolina Collection

The North Carolina Collection is a special collection of the University Library; its purpose is to acquire and preserve all published materials dealing with North Carolina. Louis Round Wilson began developing the collection shortly after he became University Librarian in 1901, and in 1917 he hired Mary L. Thornton to be its first curator. The history of the North Carolina Collection as a distinct unit of the library dates from that time.

The North Carolina Collection is a special collection of the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its purpose is to acquire and preserve published materials (books, periodicals, newspapers, government publications, pictures, and maps) dealing with the state and its localities and people as well as significant works written by North Carolinians. It also contains some natable collections of both manuscript and published materials, including the Thomas Wolfe Collection and the Sir Walter Raleigh Memorial Collection. It also serves as a repository for printed materials issued by the University and by its various departments and organizations.

Dr. Louis Round Wilson began the development of a collection of North Caroliniana soon after he became University Librarian in 1901. With the completion of a new library building in 1907, a special room was set aside in which all books and other materials related to the state were consolidated. A gift from John Sprunt Hill provided an annual income for increasing the collection. In 1917, Mr. Hill provided funds for a full-time curator of the collection.