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Milner Library

Physical Collections

Highlighting Special Collections and Archives

Woodcut print showing a ship with oars extending from the side floating on a roiling sea.

Images as learning aids in a historical textbook

“Recently, quite a few children, truly inspired by the desire to learn (insofar as we can be judge [...]
A book spread with a watercolor painting showing a raccoon, an opossum, and a skunk carrying sticks with cloth sacks tied to the ends walking down a hill. The animals seem to be glancing at the reader and raising a hand in a wave.

Communications between and beyond the pages

Bookseller and collector Will Johnson is the namesake behind a sizable portion of the Milner [...]
A group of students/alumni wearing red Chi Omega jackets pose with Reggie Redbird.

This month in Illinois State University history: November

From a historic concert at Horton Field House, to a key game in the Redbirds’ longest football [...]
Detail of a watercolor painting of woman wearing a blue hat and white dress with long blue vest and white gloves. The hat has a feather, the dress has a high collar, and the figure wears a large pendant on a gold chain.

Historical costume ideas in watercolor studies by Charles Bianchini

The label indicates that this is a sketch for a first costume for Elda, after the manuscript of [...]

Browse the Collections

General collections are shelved on floors 2-6 of Milner Library. Consult the catalog and floor maps or ask us for help locating physical items.

Physical Collections

  • Stuffed animals.

    Teaching Materials Center

    Pre-K-12 materials, including picture books, YA novels, leveled readers, and teacher edition textbooks.

  • Books on a table.

    Government Information

    Up-to-date and historical federal and state information reflecting all aspects of government activity.

  • Maps and atlases drawing

    Maps and Atlases

    200,000 printed maps and cartographic materials with a major emphasis on Illinois and the Midwest.

  • Students browsing the DVD Collection

    Multimedia Center DVD & VHS Collection

    Broad range of educational films, documentaries, feature films, and performances in music, dance, and theater.

  • Piece of an old book.

    Special Collections

    The Special Collections Department at Milner Library holds rare books and archival materials.

  • Sword artifact

    Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives

    The Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives is the official repository for selected materials that document the history of the university.

  • Books on a shelf.

    Browsing Books Collection

    Recently published and/or bestseller fiction and nonfiction books.

More to Explore

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