The Special Collections Research Center houses approximately 25,000 published volumes of children's literature, in addition to other archival artwork, correspondence, and manuscripts of authors and illustrators. Several gifts have greatly contributed to the collection.
The Lee Walp Family Juvenile Book Collection was acquired in 2001-2002. The Walps had collected primarily American children's books for their two daughters, because they did not want them reading comic books. When received, this collection contained more than 6,000 books plus over 1,000 additional pieces of art, posters, publishers' proof sheets, and other manuscripts.
In 1924, the Lucius Lee Hubbard Imaginary Voyages Collection was given to the collection by Regent Hubbard. This collection consists of editions, translations, adaptations, and spin-offs of three children's classics: The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner by Daniel DeFoe, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, and Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss.
Finally, the Janice Dohm purchase in 2003 contributed English chapter books, fairy tales including seven shelves of editions of Hans Christian Andersen, and eight shelves of editions of Beatrix Potter's books.
Now that these significant gifts have built a foundation for the collection, an effort has been made to define areas of focus and to build the collection to further aid classes and instruction.