Special Collections contains rare books, first editions, manuscripts, and letters of noted literary figures, especially writers related to New England, such as Edwin Arlington Robinson, Laura Richards, and Sarah Orne Jewett. 

The James Augustine Healy  Collection of 19th and 20th Century Irish Literature concentrates on authors of the Irish Literary Renaissance, 1880-1940, and is endowed with  funds for collecting contemporary Irish poets and writers. Special Collections also has a Thomas Hardy Collection of books and letters.

Also housed here are Colby Archives and records pertaining to Colby and its history, runs of  the "Echo",  yearbooks, and other artifacts from the college's history.

Other major collections include the Pestana Collection, a collection comprised of extensive literature and artifacts from World War I, and the Bern Porter Collection of Contemporary Letters.

Special Collections is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of  the Wesley McNair Papers, an important resource from one of Maine's finest living poets.