Atkins Special Collections

Atkins Special Collections UNC Charlotte's Special Collections and University Archives: Working to preserve and share the history and culture of and the Charlotte region.

Overview Special Collections & University Archives
J. Murrey Atkins Library Department of Special Collections and University Archives is dedicated to connecting people with the knowledge available in unique and rare resources. We work to preserve and share the history and culture of UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte region. Our collections include manuscripts (the personal archives of individuals an

d families as well as those of local organizations), the university's records, rare and unique books, maps, and oral history recordings. Special Collections and University Archives resources are available in the Dalton Reading Room on the 10th floor of Atkins Library, and everyone is welcome. We offer reference help and instruction services. Some of our collections are available online.

The Atkins Library building will be closed for maintenance work the week of May 11th. During that time our reference ser...
05/07/2026

The Atkins Library building will be closed for maintenance work the week of May 11th. During that time our reference services will be virtual-only. Please email us at [email protected] with any reference questions.

Our mission at Atkins Special Collections is the preservation of UNC Charlotte's history, so when poor weather threaten...
04/30/2026

Our mission at Atkins Special Collections is the preservation of UNC Charlotte's history, so when poor weather threatened the impromptu memorials following the tragic events of April 30, 2019, the department sprang into action to protect these remembrances. The items left at the memorial sites were collected and preserved as a part of the UNC Charlotte April 30 Tragedy Memorial Collection.

A selection of these items, along with photographs, videos, audio recordings, and oral histories, are a part of the April 30 Memorial Digital Exhibit. This permanent online exhibit explores the ways in which UNC Charlotte and the City of Charlotte grieved together in the days following the tragedy, the resilience of Niner Nation, and how we remember those who were lost.

April 30 Memorial Digital Exhibit ➡️ NinersRememberApril30.charlotte.edu

04/09/2026

If you ever wonder why we’re the Charlotte 49ers, then this video is for you!

On this 4/9 Day, learn the real story behind the Charlotte 49ers name straight from the source—UNC Charlotte founder Dr. Bonnie Cone!

1949 is often referred to as the year of UNC Charlotte’s survival because the school - then called the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina - was supposed to be shut down that year. But thanks to the extraordinary work of Miss Bonnie, the CCUNC faculty and staff, and the school’s many supporters, the North Carolina Legislature was convinced that the program should remain open past the 1949 spring semester. That fall, the newly renamed Charlotte College opened its doors as a 2-year junior college, and set us on the path of becoming UNC Charlotte.

Today we are the 49ers to honor that pivotal year, the year of our survival. (The fact that Charlotte was home to the first gold rush in U.S. history was an added bonus.)
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49ers Forum: A Video Feature Magazine, 1984. MS0112 Bonnie Ethel Cone papers, UNC Charlotte.

This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the incredible women who helped shape UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte comm...
03/24/2026

This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the incredible women who helped shape UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte community.

Today we spotlight Elizabeth Schmoke Randolph.
Born in Farmville, North Carolina in 1917, Randolph’s journey in education began with her graduation from in 1936, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan. In 1958, she became principal of the newly opened University Park Elementary School in Charlotte, leading with strength and vision during a time of major change. For nine years, she built a school community where students, families, and educators could truly thrive. In 1967, she played a key role in the consolidation of Charlotte’s city and county schools, later rising to Associate Superintendent of curriculum for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 1976. Beyond her professional achievements, Randolph was deeply committed to service as an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Inc. In 1979, WBT awarded her their prestigious Woman of the Year award. In 1991, UNC Charlotte awarded her an honorary doctorate in public service The community room at Allegra Westbrooks Library on Beatties Ford Road is named after her.
Join us in celebrating her legacy and the lasting impact of women in our community.

For Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the voices of women who have influenced the histories of UNC Charlotte an...
03/23/2026

For Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the voices of women who have influenced the histories of UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte area. The Charlotte Women’s Center was a women’s organization that operated from 1971 to approximately 1993. The women who entered the center’s Dilworth home were met with workshops, consciousness-raising groups, community meetings, a library, and a variety of resources for women in need. To learn more about the history of the Charlotte Women’s Center and the women involved in its legacy, stay tuned for the Charlotte Women’s Center Oral History, and stop by to view some of our related manuscript collections.

If you or someone you know was involved with the Charlotte Women’s Center and would like to be interviewed for the Charlotte Women’s Center Oral History Project, please reach out to the contact information included on the flyer.

Quotes:
“The power of women moving together—that was the place where I first experienced that. And it changed my life. It changed everything.” - Harriet Ann Ellenberger

“I feel like whatever happened there has stayed with me and has served me well… It was a catalyst for the rest of my life” - Jan Millsapps

Harriet Ann Ellenberger at the Charlotte Women’s Center - Jan Millsapps papers (MS0651)
Harriet Ann Ellenberger oral history interview, 2025 December 8
Jan Millsapps, Concetta Caliendo, and Rosemary Ferguson working on the Charlotte Women’s Center newsletter - Jan Millsapps papers (MS0651)
Jan Millsapps oral history interview, 2025 December 30

Today marks the 94th anniversary of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s first performance on March 20, 1932. The symphony...
03/20/2026

Today marks the 94th anniversary of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s first performance on March 20, 1932. The symphony is the longest continuously operating symphony orchestra in North Carolina. Founded by Spanish conductor and composer Guillermo S. de Roxlo who led the symphony from 1932 to 1944, the original lineup featured 57 Charlotte musicians who had answered a newspaper ad. The makeup of that first season’s orchestra was nearly 50% women, a rarity for the time.

The symphony originally rehearsed at Central High School in the months leading up to their debut concert, and on the day of that first performance hundreds of Charlotteans filled the Carolina Theatre to the sounds of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Debussy’s Reverie, Wagner’s Prelude to Lohengrin, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, and original compositions by de Roxlo himself in their debut performance.

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra records, MS0548, UNC Charlotte.

Born and raised in Charlotte’s Third Ward neighborhood, Gerson Stroud (1919-2006) was drafted into World War II in 1942 ...
02/25/2026

Born and raised in Charlotte’s Third Ward neighborhood, Gerson Stroud (1919-2006) was drafted into World War II in 1942 while he was a student at Johnson C. Smith University. Mr. Stroud trained at Fort Bragg with the 92nd Infantry Division, an African American unit also known as the “Buffalo Soldiers.” He was also stationed across Italy for around eighteen months until the end of the war. Upon his return home, Mr. Stroud grew to be a prominent member of the Charlotte community, including serving as principal of West Charlotte High School from 1969-1974 , a member of the Pi Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Swank Social Club and an elder at First United Presbyterian Church.

We will be at the Charlotte Museum of History, , this Saturday, February 28th, for the African American Heritage Festival. The theme for this year’s festival is “Red, White, Blue, and Black: Honoring the Legacy of Black Military Service.” If you’d like to learn more about Gerson Stroud and other African American veterans featured in our collections, please come visit us at Saturday’s festival.

02/09/2026

On this day, February 9th, 1960, Charles Jones and a group of Johnson C. Smith University students and student council members organized a sit-in with the goal of direct, nonviolent action in support of desegregation. Eight days before, on February 1, 1960 the sit-in movement across the South began, when four NCA&T students sat down at the segregated lunch counter of Woolworth’s department store in Greensboro. News of this inspired the JCSU students to action in Charlotte.

Over a period of five months, over 200 Smith University students gathered at different stores and lunch counters across uptown Charlotte, sitting at doors and filling up the counters to make themselves heard. These nonviolent protests were designed to draw visibility to the movement and put economic pressure on city officials and business owners. The City of Charlotte acted as an intermediary between the protestors and business owners during negotiations towards integration. On July 9th, 1960, all eight of the uptown lunch counters were quietly desegregated: Belk’s, Ivey’s, Sears, Woolworth’s, Kress, McLellan’s, Liggetts Drugs, and Grant’s.

Many of the protests were organized and conducted by Jones, a theology student and co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who had been inspired to protest by the sit-in protests at the Greensboro Woolworth’s. In a 2005 oral history, Jones recounted the sit-in and how it began. As a member of the student council for JCSU, Jones explained that he came to the meeting the day before the protests saying “I don’t know about you all but tomorrow morning I’m going to dress up in my Sunday go-to-meetings, put on a little sweet water and go downtown to Woolworth’s and sit and ain’t going to stop until we open up these lunch counters.” The next day he was surprised to find hundreds of students following suit.

“We will be dignified, we will not hit back, we will not talk or challenge, we will sit quietly with dignity and we will continue to do that until we open up the lunch counter.”

Charles Jones oral history interview 1, May 18, 2005.

Atkins Library will be closed starting Sunday, December 14th, 2025, and will reopen on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Our r...
12/11/2025

Atkins Library will be closed starting Sunday, December 14th, 2025, and will reopen on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Our reference services will be virtual-only during this time. Please email us at [email protected]

Additionally, the University will be closed over the winter holidays from December 24th through January 1st, no reference services will be available.

Address

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC
28223

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 11am - 2pm

Telephone

+17046871170

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