The McCain Library and Archives is the chief reserve library for The University of Southern Mississippi. It houses the items in Southern Mississippi's possession that are not available for checkout. Besides being the archives, the building also houses the office of the President Emeritus, and the universities audio visual department. The Archives also house the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, one of the largest collections of children's literature in the world.De Grummond Children's Literature CollectionThe de Grummond Children's Literature Collection is part of the McCain Library and Archives on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi. It is one of North America's leading research centers in the field of children's literature. The focus is on American and British children’s literature, historical as well as contemporary.The collection is named for Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, who founded it in 1966. She was a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who assembled materials sent by contributors from around the world. More than 1200 artists, illustrators, and collectors have generously donated published books and original materials.Dr. De Grummond, contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection. H.A. and Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys were to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi.
