[1] In 2008, the Princeton Review rated William & Mary's library system as the eighth best in the United States.

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) of the Earl Gregg Swem Library of William & Mary defines the history of the university and promotes and preserves the scholarly pursuits of its faculty, students, alumni, visiting scholars, and friends.

The SCRC contributes to the college's scholarly reputation by providing the rare books and unique manuscript and archival materials that make primary research possible.

The SCRC is located in the Warren E. Burger Special Collections Wing of Swem Library.

The mission of the Manuscripts area of Special Collections is to provide primary source material for William & Mary faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and visiting scholars and researchers.

These libraries include: The University Archives is the memory of William & Mary, documenting its history from before the founding in 1693 to the present.

The wide variety of materials relating to the college and its people through the years includes official records created in the college's daily operations, photographs, publications, video and audio tape recordings, personal papers and books or articles written by or about past or current William & Mary people, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and artifacts.