Archives and Special Collections (ASC) preserves and provides access to primary resources for research, study, and teaching within the University's instructional programs, and offers distinctive and unique resources for the region and the scholarly community worldwide. The curatorial units of Archives and Special Collections: University Archives and Records Center, which also administers the University's Oral History Center, Photographic Archives, and Rare Books, may accept gifts, in any format, which support this mission. While the curatorial units are somewhat format-based, there is considerable overlap: all of the units hold books, photographs, and personal and organizational records, while recognizing and relying on each other's expertise and experience.
Our collecting areas are outlined below.
To begin the process or inquire about donating materials to Archives and Special Collections, please call (502-852-6752) or email us.
These collections are intended to support University teaching and research, as well as research by community members and scholars of the region.
Current collections: Archives and Special Collections holds significant primary resources for research in late nineteenth century history through the present, although its strengths are in the 20th and 21st centuries. We seek to document our community comprehensively. All types of materials may be found in collections from individuals and organizations, from print documents and photographs to email and Word files. The life of our community is also documented through oral histories. ASC is known for its urban history collections, nineteenth and twentieth century records of significant Louisville-area businesses, political and cultural organizations, social service agencies, and churches, and personal papers of political figures, scholars, and other community members. ASC's Photographic Archives holds significant collections of regional and historic images, including those of major local commercial studios active in the first half of the twentieth century. Collections such as these contain photographs of Louisville and the surrounding region that were taken for Louisville architects, builders, banks, wholesale and retail merchants, advertisers, government agencies, public utilities, and private individuals.
We seek to continue to develop collections broadly representative of the communities we serve.The Photographic Archives, part of Archives and Special Collections, holds internationally significant collections of documentary photography. These materials are used by faculty and student researchers, but are also used extensively by researchers from around the globe. They form the bedrock of the Photographic Archives' international reputation.
Current collections: The Photographic Archives holds a number of collections relating to Roy E. Stryker, one of the most prominent figures in the development of American documentary photography. These include his Farm Security Administration papers (including photographs, shooting scripts, and correspondence), photographs from the Standard Oil (New Jersey) project, and Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, his last major project. Building on this foundation, the Archives holdings include Kentucky photographs by Robert Doherty, Edward Steichen WWII Navy photographs, Lewis Hine study collection, Urban Renewal image collections, and select photographs from the Kentucky Documentary Project.
The Photographic Archives seeks to build on its existing strengths in this area, with a particular focus on projects that document the people, places, and events of Louisville and Kentucky.Maintained in support of the teaching program in the Allen R. Hite Art Institute as well as for exhibitions, this collection contains original prints by photographers who have used photography as a medium for artistic expression.
Current collections: The Fine Print Collection includes work by Ansel Adams, Shelby Lee Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Julia Margaret Cameron, Peter Henry Emerson, Betty Hahn, Lewis Hine, Gertrude Kasebier, Andre Kertesz, Helen Levitt, Danny Lyon, Vivian Maier, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Cranston Ritchie, Aaron Siskind, Jerry Uelsman, Edward Weston, Minor White, and Gary Winogrand.
Desired collecting level: While funding limitations continue to constrain purchases, ASC seeks to enhance this collection with the work of more contemporary photographers.
The rare books collections emphasize literature, history, and popular culture. They also include fragile materials and some materials printed in Louisville and likely to become rare or ephemeral in future, as well as texts relating to photographic history. These materials are used frequently in support of classroom teaching, for exhibitions, and by researchers from within the University as well as the larger community.
Current collections: Areas of strength for our rare books collections include Irish Literary Renaissance literature, rare mathematics and astronomy, and authors Edgar Rice Burroughs, Graham Greene and J.D. Salinger.
While funding has significantly constrained purchases, we seek to further build our rare mathematics and astronomy collections. We welcome rare books that document life in the Louisville Metro area. Because of the existing size and exhaustiveness of our Edgar Rice Burroughs-related collections, we seek to add very selectively in that area. Significant comprehensive collections which provide primary source support for instructional programs will also be considered.
As "The Memory of the University," the Archives preserves and makes available for research the official records of the University of Louisville, one of the oldest municipal universities in the United States, in accordance with state and federal law and university policy. The Archives also documents the “unofficial” life of the University, such as student life outside the classroom. In addition to satisfying state requirements for the preservation of government agency records, these materials are used by faculty and students for teaching and research. Staff use these records for administrative purposes, including histories of their units. The wider community uses them for research, including genealogical research.
Current collections: Strongest from the mid-20th century to the present. Records from the earliest days of the University, and of its predecessors, are scant.
State records schedules mandate the permanent retention of some University records. We collect selectively beyond those requirements, where materials have historical value even if they are not considered permanent in an official sense. We seek representative collections documenting student life and faculty, staff, and alumni.
The University of Louisville Digital Collections, a freely available online resource, is managed by the Digital Initiatives department of ASC. The collections include rare and unique images, maps, documents, and newspapers from our archives and special collections. Each University of Louisville library contributes content, though ASC holdings represent the majority.
Current collections: Images from early to mid-20th century Louisville/Kentucky, predominantly houses, portraits, and cityscapes, make up the bulk of material currently available online. Other significant collections include Standard Oil New Jersey (SONJ) photographs from around the world, and all extant copies of the Louisville Cardinal and Louisville Leader newspapers’ print editions.
Proposals for collections that cover content not already well represented in Digital Collections are preferred. We will continue to add materials whose digital availability will benefit the libraries, the university, and the community.
Collections are proposed by curators via a web-based form and evaluated by site administrators for their access, preservation, and other needs or opportunities enhanced or presented by the creation of digital surrogates and searchable information about them. Curators will be notified whether the request has been accepted, rejected, or requires revisions and resubmission.
A proposed digital collection must, at minimum, be:
Curators should not promise digital collections to donors, researchers, or other interested parties until a proposal has been accepted. Digital Initiatives staff should be included in discussions about potential donations and partnerships involving digital collections.
The following is a list of types of materials we do not accept. Materials may be considered out of scope because of they do not align with our geographical focus, or because they require conservation or preservation conditions we cannot provide. Our goal is to have primary source materials available in a repository where they are most likely to be used, appreciated, and well taken care of, even if that is not Archives and Special Collections. In some cases, material is considered out of scope because it is not rare or unique, such as readily-available mass-produced publications.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
If you are a University of Louisville faculty member and are interested in donating your papers and/or books, we have a guide just for you. Please see Transfer Guidelines for Faculty Papers.