The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection is the local history and genealogy department of the Knox County Public Library System. The McClung Collection is one of the foremost collections of East Tennessee history and one of the premier research libraries in the region.

The collection includes
  • more than 67,000 books, many of them rare
  • thousands of newspapers, most from East Tennessee, predating 1920
  • more than 3,000 printed genealogies
  • more than 14,000 folders of First Families of Tennessee materials
  • approximately 120 linear feet of genealogical manuscript collections that have been processed for research use by the public
  • more than 13,000 rolls of microfilm of census records, state and local government records, newspapers, and other valuable primary source material
  • a rare complete set of Knoxville city directories from 1859 to the present
  • the only set of Knoxville telephone directories going back to 1898
  • subscriptions to web-based genealogical databases
  • significant holdings of historic maps, photographs, and manuscripts
Click below to find out more about our holdings:

Genealogical manuscript collections
Microfilm and databases
East Tennessee county records

McClung Collection location and hours

Visit the new McClung Digital Photographic Collection, featuring historic images of East Tennessee, at cmdc.knoxlib.org.