Finding Archives and Manuscripts

Research at the Center
How Do I Find Archives and Manuscripts?

You have access to over 60 million documents in the Special Collections archival and manuscript collections Using primary documents creates an authoritative voice for your writing while allowing you to stretch your imagination and use your academic creativity. Locating the folder or box of material that is useful for your research in such a large collection can seem impossible, but through extensive cataloging and the creation of detailed finding aids, we have simplified the task. Still, archival research demands patience and a willingness to sift through many documents to find the ones that are right for your needs. The process can be frustrating at times, but it is usually highly rewarding. By using the archival and manuscript collections, you are returning to the original source documents from which history is written.

If you have never used archives or manuscripts before, you may want to review this glossary of terms assembled by Oregon State University.

Subject Guide to Modern Manuscripts and Archival Collections
University Archivist and Associate Director of Special Collections, Daniel Meyer, has prepared several detailed subject guides to the archival and manuscript collections. It is probably the best place to start if you are approaching your research from a specific subject area and just want to see what kinds of collections we have.

Search the Catalog
If you are unfamiliar with using the Library Catalog, you may want to take a look at "How do I Find Books Using the Library Catalog?"

A simple way to search for archives and manuscripts is to go to the "Advanced Keyword" screen in the catalog. From there, you can enter a keyword and limit your search to just archives and manuscripts by scrolling down the "limits" section and selecting "archives and manuscripts." With this limit, you will only search catalog records for archival and manuscript collections. A considerable portion of the University Archives (books and serials such as the Cap and Gown) will not be searched using this strategy. To locate those, it is best to limit your search to "Special Collections" rather than "Archives and Manuscripts."

Most archives and manuscripts are cataloged at the collection level, which means there is a single record in the catalog that represents all of a person's or organization's papers. For example, the Walter Paepcke papers, which consist of over 130 boxes of material, appear in the catalog as one record. The detailed record has many assigned subject headings, but they cannot fully capture the vast range of subjects you are likely to find in a large collection. The catalog will point you to relevant collections, but, in most cases, you will then need to consult the finding aids (see below) to learn more about the collections' contents. In this case, the catalog record also contains a link to the online finding aid for the Walter Paepcke papers.

Finding Aids
A finding aid is a detailed listing of the contents of a collection. It can tell you what is located in each box and each folder of a collection. In addition, a finding aid often contains historical or biographical information about the institution or person responsible for the papers; a "scope note," which gives you an overview of what you will find in the collection; and a statement that explains how the collection is organized.

Online Finding Aids
Over 125 of our finding aids are available and fully searchable online. If you have never used online finding aids before, the site offers a helpful guide to searching.

Paper Finding Aids
The vast majority of our collections do not have online finding aids yet. Many were processed in the era of the typewriter and are only available in print form. To consult the finding aids for these collections you are welcome to drop by Special Collections during our regular hours.

Ask for Help
Catalog records can only go so far in pointing out relevant collections for your research. Special Collections staff are familiar with the archival and manuscript collections and can often help you find sources that may not have occured to you.

Every library has its "hidden collections," those that are not yet processed with minimal or no cataloging available to researchers. Many of these are open for research use, but the only way you will know what they are and what they contain is to visit Special Collections and ask the reference staff. We are continually working to provide records for each of these collections, but the processing backlog will take time to erase.

If you have any questions, please feel free to Ask a Librarian.

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