Special Collections > Stanford University Archives > Our Collections

Our Collections

The collections of the University Archives are rich sources of information regarding academics, administrative concerns, and student life, as well as the university's involvement in the development of Santa Clara Valley and the history of California and the West. Included are:

• Records of campus offices, including academic, administrative, library and research offices
• Records of student organizations, such as the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU), Ram's Head and the Stanford Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
• Professional and personal papers of members of Stanford's faculty, administrative staff, Board of Trustees, and each of Stanford's past presidents
• Student letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and photograph albums relating to their Stanford experiences
• Professional and personal papers of the Leland Stanford family and of Stanford/Lathrop family members
• Publications produced on campus, both monographic and serial, such as newspapers, yearbooks, directories, reports, surveys, and Stanford University Press books
• Photographs, negatives, slides, films, and video
• Theses and dissertations completed by Stanford graduates
• Maps, drawings, blueprints and other architectural drawings, prints, and posters
• Oral history interviews with faculty, staff and others who have figured significantly in Stanford's history

Historical images of Stanford people, events, and places are available online through the Stanford Historical Photograph Collection.

Access to Collections

Several catalogs, including the Stanford University Libraries' on-line catalog (SearchWorks), provide access to the resources of the Archives. A guide to finding archives material is available.

Detailed finding aids for many collections are available from the Online Archive of California. When no online finding aid exists, a print version may be available in the Special Collections Reading Room. Contact archivesref@stanford.edu for additional information.