James Alexander and Ellen Rea Benson Special Collections

The James Alexander and Ellen Rea Benson Special Collections contributes to Western Archives' antiquarian and rare book holdings. The Benson Special Collections was established in 1934 as the Treasure Room Collection. It was located on the first floor of the Lawson Memorial Library, now known as Lawson Hall. From 1966-1971, the Treasure Room Collection was housed in a closed off section of the library stacks.

When the D.B. Weldon Library opened in 1971, the Treasure Room merged with Regional Collection inside the D.B. Weldon Library. Two years later, the rare book holdings were separated out to form the Special Collections department.  

In 1999, Special Collections received an endowment from the estate of Lillian Benson, a retired thirty-seven year employee and friend of Western Libraries. Ms. Benson was an Assistant Librarian, Administration, to Western Librarian Dr. James J. Talman. In recognition of her gift, Special Collections was renamed The James Alexander and Ellen Rea Benson Special Collections in honour of Ms. Benson's parents.

In 2002, the Benson Special Collections were incorporated into Western's Archives and Special Collections, located inside of the Archives and Research Collections Centre, located on the main floor of the D.B. Weldon Library.

Major collections include:

  • Beatrice Hitchins Collection of Aviation History
  • Black History Collection
  • British Private Press Collection (Kelmscott Press, William Morris and others)
  • Canadian Church History
  • Canadian Travels and Voyages (19th century of Canadian Travel literature)
  • English Canadian literature to 1939
  • Enlightenment and the French Revolution
  • G. William Stuart, Jr. Collection of Milton and Miltoniana
  • H.G. Wells Collection (Early and First Editions of Wells' works)
  • Hannah Collection of the History of Science and Medicine
  • R.M. Bucke Collection (Walt Whitman, History of Psychiatry)
  • Richard Maurice Bucke Collection of Medical, Philosophical, and Literary papers
  • The Alexander Norman Collection of Comic Books
  • The Dr. Eddy Smet Collection of Comic Books