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Mission Statement
Special Collections Research Center seeks to collect and preserve materials that document the history, culture, heritage, and language of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people and to make these materials available to the public. Materials collected by the center include books, manuscript papers (such as personal diaries, correspondence, meeting minutes), photographs, recordings (such as video and audio recordings), and cultural or ethnographical objects. The center also serves as a repository on behalf of clans and tribes for cultural objects repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act for Native people of Southeast Alaska.

Use Policies
Because of the special and rare nature of our holdings, we are a non-circulating library, meaning that our materials may be used on site only. We accept inquiries about our collections in person or via email, mail, or phone if you are unable to visit our onsite facility. Although patrons are welcome to stop by anytime during our regular operation hours, we do encourage patrons to notify us in advance in the event that staff are out of the office (we have limited staff, whom are rarely but sometimes away from the reference desk for meetings, conferences, etc.). Please also note that because of the rare and fragile nature of our holdings, we have some special rules regarding the use of our holdings, such as wearing gloves when handling certain objects, viewing only one object at a time, security procedures, etc. Upon arrival Special Collections staff will provide patrons with specific details about these practices and other aspects of maintaining security for our collections. Overall, we desire to have people use and learn from the great collections we preserve, so please contact and visit SHI Special Collections.

History of Special Collections Research Center
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is a regional Native non-profit organization founded for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. SHI was established in 1980 by the Sealaska Corporation, a for-profit company formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). SHI, formerly Sealaska Heritage Foundation, administers Sealaska Corporation’s cultural and educational programs.

Regarding the creation of SHI Special Collections, in early 1982 SHI was offered the culturally and historically valuable legal papers of attorneys James E. Curry and I. S. Weissbrodt, legal firms which had fought for the rights of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people throughout the 20^th century. In response, SHI established a Tribal Archives department and hired a professional archivist to care for this collection and begin an archival program. As Tribal Archives operated during the 1980s and 1990s it continued to receive numerous significant donations of various format, including photographs, audio recordings, manuscript papers, as well as cultural objects. In the late 1990s Tribal Archives assumed the responsibility of managing the Sealaska Corporation’s substantial ethnographic collection. With regular growth and the advent of the Corporation’s ethnographic collection falling under the care of SHI, Tribal Archives was renamed Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) and its policies were expanded to care for items as a professional museum and research center. As of 2008 SCRC was overseeing the care of around 1,000 cultural items, with sizes ranging from a 20 foot tall totem to small ivory carvings

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