The majority of Arctic exploration-related works in the library are shelved under the call number 919.8 and many can be found in the Catalog using the subject heading "Arctic regions, Discovery and exploration." In addition to the general Arctic collections, four named collections of Arctic material are held by the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML also holds several rare Arctic newspaper titles.

The Palmer-Parry Collection

Charles Palmer (1792-1861) served as a midshipman on the Buchan expedition to the North Pole (1818), Parry's first expedition (1819-1820) and Parry's second expedition (1821-1823). Manuscript material relating to each of these expeditions is available in the archival collection with the shelf-mark Post-1650 MS 0435. Additionally, Palmer's copy of the manuscript of The North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle (Post-1650 MS 0334) and its printed edition (Q. 052 NG 1822) are cataloged separately. The Palmer-Parry Collection also includes four Inuit drawings, a manuscript Inuit-English dictionary, and a sketchbook by junior British naval officer Andrew Motz Skene (1797-1849).

The Sir John Richardson Collection

Sir John Richardson (1787-1865) served as a naturalist and surgeon on Franklin's two overland expeditions (1819-1822, 1825-1827). Along with John Rae, Richardson led the first expedition in search of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition (1848-1849). These expeditions are represented in print and manuscript materials purchased by the University of Illinois from Richardson's heirs in 1963. The manuscript of Richardson's journal of Franklin's first overland expedition is cataloged under the shelf-mark Post-1650 MS 0052. It was edited by C. Stuart Houston and published as Arctic Ordeal: The Journal of John Richardson, Surgeon-Naturalist with Franklin, 1820-1822. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1984. [Main Stacks and Undergraduate 919.8 B39j 1984 (circulating) & Rare Books 919.8 B39j 1984 (non-circulating)]. The manuscript account book detailing Richardson's preparations for the first Franklin search is cataloged under the shelf-mark Post-1650 MS 0051 and is unpublished. A list of the 173 items contained in this manuscript can be found in Richardson's biography: Johnson, Robert Eugene. Sir John Richardson: Arctic Explorer, Natural Historian, Naval Surgeon. London: Taylor and Francis, 1976. [Rare Books B.R5232j (non-circulating) & ACES B.R5232j (circulating)]. The printed works in the Sir John Richardson Collection can be found by doing an author search for "Richardson, John, Sir, 1787-1865" in the Classic Catalog.

The Schwatka Arctic Library

Frederick Schwatka (1849-1892) was an Arctic explorer born in Galena, Illinois, who led a search for written documents of the lost Franklin Expedition in 1878-1879. He later explored Alaska. In 1924, his widow sold to the University of Illinois the remains of his library, approximately 50 books. These books can be found by doing an author search for "Schwatka, Frederick, 1849-1892" or "Schwatka Arctic Library" in the Classic Catalog. Schwatka's collection focuses on the search for Franklin and other nineteenth-century Anglo-American Arctic expeditions.

The Mercanton Polar Library

Paul-Louis Mercanton (1876-1963) was a Swiss glaciologist. His collection of polar exploration meterials came to the University of Illinois in 1966. In addition to Anglo-American Polar narratives, the collection also contains works by European explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen, Jean Charcot, and Alfred Wegener. Many of the books are inscribed by their authors. These books can be found by doing an author search for "Mercanton, Paul-Louis, 1876-1963" or "Mercanton Polar Library" in the Classic Catalog.

Arctic Newspapers in Collection:

Arctic miscellanies: A Souvenir of the Late Polar Search by the Officers and Seamen of the Expedition. London: Colburn and Co., 1852. [Rare Books 919.8 Ar274]

Atuagagdliutit. Godthaab, Greenland, 1861-1910. [Rare Books]

The North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle:

   The North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle. Edited by Edward Sabine. 2nd ed. London: John Murray, 1822. [Rare Books Q. 052 NG 1822]

   [A copy of the Winter Chronicle, or, New Georgia Gazette]. [Melville Island, Nunavut, 1819-1820]. [Rare Books Post-1650 MS 0334]