The origin of the Oliver Special Collection room was intended to be a room for both the Carnegie Museums and Carnegie Libraries under the Carnegie Institution, quite similar in how Detre is conjoined as part of the Library and the museum facility. Both facilities possess materials that are more than just archives; they have rare books, library access, museum artifacts, photographs, manuscripts, pamphlets, and numerous resources pertaining to the city of Pittsburgh. The Detre Library and Archive was once an institutional archive, but developed over time into a hybrid archive since the 1990s. The William R. Oliver Special Collection, despite having a few alternative items, staunchly remains an institutional archive to the Carnegie Library.
Detre Library and Archive does maintain temperature and humidity-controlled rooms to preserve their …show more content…
Financial stability stems from donations, endowments, and the annual Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) funding to non-profit organizations in the city. Occasionally organizations will donate funds as part of the collection to assist with the processing, but this is a rare occurrence and generally minimal assets. The William R. Oliver Special Collection is a department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where its budget stems from, and receives funding through RAD as well as donations and endowments given directly to the Oliver Special