Washington University Archives
The University Archives chronicles WashU’s history from 1853 to today, with over 300 unique collections, including campus publications, reports, photographic prints and negatives, books, film, sound recordings, oral histories, architectural plans, and artifacts.
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Explore the University Archives Research Guides
Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research
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Collection Commencement Collection
The collection includes WashU commencement programs from 1856 to the present.View Collection about Commencement Collection -
Collection Student Groups’ Collections
Student Groups' Collection contains photos, memorabilia, and more from student groups on campus.View Collection about Student Groups’ Collections -
Collection Alumni Collections
Alumni collections document specific students’ time at the university through related ephemera.View Collection about Alumni Collections -
Collection Faculty and Administrators’ Collections
Syllabi, examples of exams and assignments, research correspondence, and reports collected by WashU faculty and administrators.View Collection about Faculty and Administrators’ Collections -
Collection University Records Collections
University Records consist of records created in campus departments and offices.View Collection about University Records Collections -
Collection Russell Sturgis Photograph Collection
Focuses on European architectural details, topographical views, sculpture, and painting, there are also images from other cities and archaeological sites.View Collection about Russell Sturgis Photograph Collection -
Collection Grotesques, Glass, & Graham
A history of the Benjamin Brown Graham Memorial Chapel on the WashU Danforth Campus.View Collection about Grotesques, Glass, & Graham -
Collection 1904 World’s Fair
Researchers interested in the history of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition will find a variety of materials in several collections.View Collection about 1904 World’s Fair
Collecting Areas
Digital Collections
Digital Collections highlight those portions of the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections that have been made or born-digital.
Dowd Illustration Research Archive
The Dowd Illustration Research Archive (DIRA) at WashU includes original art and printed material from many popular American pictorial graphic culture fields.
East Asian Library Special Collections
The East Asian Library's special collection includes about 900 volumes of rare and special books, manuscripts, and other materials.
Film & Media Archive
The Archive is committed to the preservation of documentary film and other media which chronicles America's great political and social movements with a particular emphasis on the African-American experience.
Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections
The Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections is a 2,300-volume collection of rare and unique art and design printed materials located at the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library. The main focus is illustrated books, prints, and photographs from the 18th and 19th centuries, 20th century artists’ periodicals and modern and contemporary graphic and book design.
Local History Collections
The local history collecting area focuses on the history of St. Louis and the surrounding region.
Manuscript Collections
WashU Libraries' Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Manuscript collections contain a broad range of materials dating from the 2nd century BCE through the present.
Modern Literature Collection
The Modern Literature Collection includes more than 175 authors, presses, and journals, more than 125 of which are represented by manuscript materials.
Music Special Collections
Music Special Collections include sheet music, manuscripts, rare books, and digital materials.
Rare Book Collections
The Rare Book Collections cover a wide range of subjects that complement books held in other collecting areas. The Collections’ primary strengths are in literature, the material culture of the book and printing, and aspects of American and world history. This includes graphic design, book arts, children’s literature, movable books, miniature books, printed works of art, and manuscript collections related to subjects in the Rare Books Collections.
Sports & Culture Collections
The Sports and Culture Collections highlight the historical and cultural impact of sports and fandom throughout the United States, with a particular emphasis on the St. Louis region.
Washington University Archives
The University Archives chronicles the history of WashU from 1853 to today with over 300 unique collections, including campus publications, reports, photographic prints and negatives, books, film, sound recordings, oral histories, architectural plans, and artifacts.