Collections listed in this guide are identified by title and collection number, and are described in a brief statement on the relevant contents of the collection. Relevant subjects, topics, and/or keywords have been bolded, and box and folder information has been included as appropriate.

All collections listed in this guide are open for research. Please note that some of the collections selected are not yet fully processed, arranged, or described; in other words, a comprehensive description of the collection's content may not yet exist. Some of these collections are described in what SCARC refers to as a "preliminary container lists" these lists can be found by expanding the "Other Reference Guides" section in the finding aids / collection guides for those collections (e.g. the Oregon State University Bands Motion Picture Films and Videotapes, 1968-1991).

The Benton County tab includes collections documenting the history of Benton County writ large, including maps, aerials, rare books, and digital content. Cities, towns, and communities within Benton County are listed alphabetically on separate tabs; collections listed on those tabs are arranged by type (e.g. maps, manuscripts, rare books, etc.). Tabs for communities for which no relevant material could be found in OSU's holdings include a brief historical sketch of the community.

SCARC's holdings don't always include collections of each type (e.g. photographs, oral histories) for each city, i.e. if SCARC holdings don't include photographic collections for a specific city, there won't be a section for photographs on that city's tab. Please note that collections listed for Corvallis focus on the history of the city itself, with limited collections dealing with the history of Oregon State University.

The Rare Books featured on the tab for each city are listed alphabetically by author, and represent just a small fraction of SCARC's rare book holdings. Clicking on the hyperlinked call number for a given text will open that text's library catalog page; call numbers with asterisks have copies in Special Collections and in the main stacks of the Valley Library (the latter of which may be checked out and taken home). In cases where more books are available than can be listed, a link to the complete results list has been provided.

This guide describes physical collections located in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center. Digitized materials can be located by searching Oregon Digital, Scholar's Archive, or Media Space; where appropriate, "canned searches" and/or links to specific collection material on these sites have been provided.