The U.S. Catholic Special Collection preserves records of the Catholic Church and Catholic life in the United States and supports the University’s new doctoral program in Religious Studies focusing on the U.S. Catholic experience. This newly established collection shows the commitment of the University of Dayton to the history and heritage of the Catholic Church in the United States and its intellectual and popular traditions. The collection is located on the 3rd floor of Roesch Library.

The collection is comprehensive and includes retrospective and contemporary works in different languages, formats, and media, as well as objects used by American Catholics in their religious practice. The collection is strong on official church documents, theology, religious orders active in the United States, school textbooks, biographies, and books and serials used or published by various Catholic immigrant groups.

The U.S. Catholic Special Collection is open by appointment only. To make an appointment or for information about archival materials in the collection, contact Stephanie Shreffler, Archivist and Collections Librarian for the U.S. Catholic Special Collection, at 937-229-4262.