Archivist: Dr. Lisa Speer
Ouachita Baptist University feels a responsibility for preserving unique materials which document life in this region. The university bears that responsibility in the sense that all educational institutions must contribute to the preservation and transmission of culture.
Riley-Hickingbotham Library’s Archives and Special Collections Department houses the institution’s own historical materials as well as political papers of major political figures in Arkansas. In addition, Special Collections serves as the official repository for the archives of the Clark County Historical Association and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. In conjunction with the latter, the university has gathered a number of collections covering Arkansas and Baptists, particularly southern Arkansas and Southern Baptists. Because of the county and local records included in the archives, Riley-Hickingbotham Library has become a regional center for genealogy and local history research.