When The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center opened to the public in January 2009 it brought Purdue’s special collections and archives together into one centralized facility. Previously, material was scattered throughout seven buildings on campus.

Encompassing 18,360 square feet of renovated space, the center serves as a repository for the department’s rare collections, making materials more readily accessible to visitors and scholars. The archives are equipped with security, fire suppression and climate control systems to protect special collections (including the papers and effects of such Purdue-affiliated luminaries as humorist George Ade; cartoonist John T. McCutcheon; Nobel Prize winning chemist Herbert C. Brown; astronauts Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan; and aviator Amelia Earhart).

The facility also features an entry hall/exhibit space; a researcher reading room with permanent displays; an instruction center; a processing center for receiving new materials; and offices for staff and faculty members.