Plan A Visit to Buncombe County Special Collections

The Buncombe County Special Collections Library is located at 67 Haywood St. on the lower level of Pack Memorial Library in Downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

No appointment is necessary to access the archives, however we encourage researchers to seek the guidance of Special Collections staff when planning their visit.

Special Collections Rules

Buncombe County Special Collections is open to anyone to conduct research for any reason. All material in the open stacks is available for patrons to browse without assistance from staff.

Special Collections staff will follow these general guidelines in making rare and unique materials located in secure storage areas available to the public:

• All Special Collections users must sign in.
• Due to the limited number of PCs in the Special Collections reading room, computer access is restricted for use by researchers only.
• To access the rare books and special collections archive, patrons will provide staff with a library card or other non-monetary deposit (ex. state, school, or work ID, bus pass, keys, etc.)
• Ink pens, any food or drink, and oversize bags must be kept in a locker while using materials housed in secure storage areas. Researchers may keep a water bottle with a lid near their workstation.
• Patrons may not browse materials in secure storage areas. A staff member will be happy to assist you to identify collections relevant to your project.
• Originals of especially rare or fragile materials will not be made available when copies are available. Originals will be provided at the discretion of the collection manager.
• Materials may not be removed from the Special Collections reading room.
• Determination of the security needs of Special Collections materials will be made by the Collection Manager with the approval of the Library Director.

Hours

Monday: By appointment only

Tuesday-Friday: 10 am - 6 pm

Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday: Closed

BCSC is closed whenever Pack Memorial Library is closed, including all federal holidays. Please see our calendarand the Buncombe County Public Libraries calendar for information about library closures or special events which may impact our hours.

Questions? Ask an Archivist!

Please email us at packnc@buncombecounty.org