NIU became a depository for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 1979. As part of their Circulating Book Program, we receive copies of items nominated for the Nebula Awards, which honor the best novel, novella, novelette and short stories for each year. These books form the core of our Science Fiction research collection. NIU also holds a collection of H.P. Lovecraft materials, including some manuscript materials, that complements this collection. The Science Fiction Collection numbered over 2,000 volumes at last count. We also hold a significant group of Science Fiction Magazines, which are not yet fully cataloged; a current list is being compiled, and we hope will be available shortly. Click here to see a sample group of materials that can be used to discuss the history of SF writing.
Recent additions to the Science Fiction Collection include deluxe signed editions of Jack Vance's Strange Notions & The Dark Ocean and Bird Isle & Take My Face, a small group of materials by Cyril Kornbluth, and over 200 different titles nominated this year for the Nebula Awards.
As a SFWA depository, we are always interested in adding the archives of SFWA members to our research holdings. We currently hold the papers of Jack McDevitt, a multiple Hugo and Nebula award nominee, and the 2007 winner of the Nebula Award for his novel Seeker. Mr. McDevitt's papers are fully processed and available to researchers. The papers of NIU alumni E.E. Knight, author of the Vampire Earth and Age of Fire Series, are also fully processed and available..
Sarah Monette, author of the Doctrine of Labyrinths series that includes the novels Melusine, The Virtu, and The Mirador, and the co-author with Elizabeth Bear of A Companion to Wolves, has placed her papers at NIU. Ms. Monette's papers are currently being processed for use by researchers.
Recent additions to the SFWA Archives include the papers of award-winning authors Elizabeth Bear and Kage Baker, Kelly McCullough, Caroline Stevermer, and Tobias Buckell, as well as the papers of St. Charles author Donald J. Bingle. Their papers are being processed for use by researchers.
We continue to add materials to this collection whenever possible. We are especially interested in original editions of early Science Fiction and Fantasy books (especially those published before 1985), and in manuscript materials and archives related to the writing of SF/F books. If you have materials that you feel would be appropriate to this collection, please contact Lynne Thomas, the Curator at (815) 753-0255 or lmthomas@niu.edu.
Selected Science Fiction and Fantasy- Related Links