University Archives
The San Diego State University Archives is a repository for materials which document the 110-year history of this institution since its founding in 1897 as a school for elementary teachers. On deposit are approximately 800 linear feet of manuscript and archival materials, 150 linear feet of published and unpublished reports, periodicals and serials, and photographic and oral history collections. |
|
If you are interested in learning more about the history of San Diego State University, please visit the Historic Buildings of San Diego State University Web site.
Holdings:
Examples of holdings include general and graduate catalogs, class schedules, book lists, yearbooks, commencement programs, and The Daily Aztec. Archival and manuscript materials comprise specific collections based on date and office of origin. The Historical Collection contains materials from the period 1897 to 1935 and includes papers from the offices of the first two presidents of the university: Samuel T. Black (1898-1910) and Edward L. Hardy (1910-1935). Some of the major collections are:
- John Adams Manuscript
- Alumni Association
- Art Department: Galleries and Council
- Associated Students
- Athletics
- Marybelle S. Bigelow
- Blueprint/Architectural Renderings
- Campus Lab School
- Dr. Thomas M. Davies
- Drama Department
- Brage Golding Collection
- Friends of the Malcolm A. Love Library
- Georgia C. Amsden Papers
- Walter R. Hepner Memorial Collection
- History Department Collection
- Institute on World Affairs Records
- Kathleen B. Jones Papers
- Malcolm A. Love Library
- Mortar Board
- San Diego State University Multimedia Collection
- Photograph Collection
- San Diego State University Foundation Collection
- San Diego State University Centennial Collection
- Senate
- Topical Files
- Women's Studies Department
- WWII Servicemen's Correspondence
- Bonnie Zimmerman Collection
- John Adams Manuscript
- 6.5 linear ft., 1915-1998
The Adams Manuscript Collection documents John Adams efforts at publication, his years at San Diego State College as a professor, department chair, and University Archivist, his relationship and publications from the San Diego Union, and some limited parts of his personal life. The collection dates from approximately 1919-1982, with the bulk of documents created from the 1930s-1970s. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
- Alumni Association
- 7 linear ft., 1939-1994
The Alumni Association collection is divided into two series. Series I includes general office files, membership lists, activities, and miscellaneous. Series II includes pre-1950s student reminiscences. For more information consult the inventory.
- Art Department: Galleries and Council
- 1964-1994
The activities of the San Diego State University Art Department's Council, Galleries, faculty, students, and alumni are documented in the ten binders. These binders compose the majority of the collection and are organized in chronological order with descriptions and headings left as originally devised. For more information consult the inventory.
- Associated Students
- 15 linear ft., 1935-1992
The collection consists of correspondence, budget reports, codes, policies and procedures from councils, boards, and committees and includes Aztec Center, Open Air Theater, and information on visitors and performers.
- Athletics
- 18.46 linear ft., 1922-
The Athletic collection consists of correspondence, budget information, personnel issues, programs, media guides, newspaper clippings, game announcements, press releases, and miscellaneous.
- The Marybelle S. Bigelow
- 367 linear ft., 1953-2001
Marybelle Schmidt Bigelow, born in La Mesa, California on July 18, 1923 was a distinguished professor of fashion and costume history, an accomplished artist and a prolific writer and creator. Bigelow received both her BA and MFA at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and went on to teach there for more than six years. She was awarded the esteemed Prix de Paris for fashion design and illustration, and worked briefly for Vogue Magazine in New York as a staff designer. In 1956, Bigelow was invited to join the staff of San Diego State University (SDSU), where she taught fashion illustration, costume history, and graphic communication courses in the art department for more than twenty years. During her tenure at SDSU, Bigelow was active on a variety of committees and was recognized as an Outstanding Educator in 1970, 1971 and 1972. For more information, consult the inventory
- Blueprints/Architectural Renderings
- 228 items, 1903-1985
The collection is divided into two Series. Series I consists of plans from the University Heights location on Normal Street, pre-1930. This Series is further divided by material type: linen, tissue, or blueprint. The linen and tissue drawings are primarily of the Training School, the blueprints are primarily of the Normal School. Series II consists of plans from the current university site and is divided by building or feature.
- Campus Lab School
- 5.58 linear ft., ca.1899-1993
The Campus Laboratory School collection chronicles the history of San Diego State University's Teachers College. The bulk of material is from 1948 to 1991 when the Teachers College was located at its present location. The collection includes correspondence, program information, annual and monthly reports, committee reports, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University, has bequeathed to the University Library his personal collection of Peruvian and Latin American books and serials. Some 10,000 titles comprise this wonderful gift, which Dr. Davies has acquired over his illustrious career as a Latin American historian specializing in Peru. For more information on Dr. Davies, consult his website. In additional, two annotated bibliographies were compiled by Jessica Knight, under the supervision of Cristina Favretto. For more information on these two bibliographies, please consult Travel to South America and Travel to Mexico.
- Drama Department
- 35.5 linear ft., ca.1914-1986
The Drama Department collection illustrates the history of the department through its productions. The collection is divided into three series: Series I contains departmental historical information; Series II contains photographs; and Series III consists of production files which include play information, photographs, and miscellaneous. For more information, consult the inventory.
Brage Golding was president of San Diego State University from 1972 to 1977. The period has often been described as a time of consolidation. The turmoil and student unrest of the late sixties were subsiding, and President Golding provided leadership as the institution turned to accept and meet new challenges. For information on this collection, consult the inventory
The Friends of the Library are a group of donors who support the services, collections, facilities and activities of the university library. The collection, which focuses on the activities of the board of directors, consists of files on topics relating primarily to Special Collections and includes organizational information, minutes of meetings, correspondence, gifts, public relations, activities, membership, and publications. For more information about the Friends, including how to join, visit their web site @ Friends or consult the inventory for this collection.
The Georgia C. Amsden was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and came to San Diego in 1909 as a stenography teacher at San Diego High School. The majority of this collection concerns her volunteer work for the American Red Cross in France during World War I. She returned to San Diego as associate professor of business education at San Diego State Teachers College from 1925-57. The Collection consists of correspondence, speeches given, newspapers clippings, resumes, report cards, photos, scrapbook, various artifacts including patches, pins, buttons, a bracelet souvenir and guide books. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
The Walter Ray Hepner's administrative career in public education began in 1919 with a position as principal of Polytechnic Evening High School in Long Beach, California. From 1920 to 1926, he worked for Fresno city schools, eventually becoming Superintendent of Schools. In 1928 Hepner became Superintendent of Schools for the city of San Diego. In 1934 he was appointed Chief of the Division of Secondary Education in the California State Department of Education, and moved to Sacramento. The following year, 1935, Hepner returned to San Diego as President of San Diego Sate College (SDSC), where he remained until his retirement in 1952. He was SDSC's third president, following Samuel T. Black and Edward L. Hardy. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
The San Diego State University History Department Collection chronicles a little more than twenty five year period of the departments organizational history. The collection includes reports, minutes, correspondence, policies, curriculum, and committee work. For information on this collection, consult the inventory.
-
Institute on World Affairs Records
- 3.13 linear feet (7 document storage boxes, 1 10"x12" flat box), 1943-2005
-
Malcolm A. Love Library
- 24.28 linear ft., 1930-92
The collection consists of administrative, departmental, and personnel issues relating to the San Diego State University Library.
-
Kathleen B. Jones Papers
- 17 boxes, 1977-2003
Kathleen B. Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1949. Dr. Jones received her BA in Political Science from Brooklyn College (1970), and her Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate School of the City University of New York (1978) before moving to California in 1980. Jones has been academically and politically active in the fields of women’s studies, politics and feminist theory since 1975. She started teaching at San Diego State University (SDSU) in 1980 and became a professor of Women’s Studies at SDSU in 1991. Jones was formerly the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters (1995-1998) and Chair of the Department of Women’s Studies (1993-1996). For information on this collection, consult the inventory.
-
San Diego State University Multimedia Collection
- 5 video tape boxes (4.5 linear feet), 1939-2005
San Diego State University’s Multimedia Collection consists of video tapes, vinyl records, 16mm film, and compact discs. Recorded on these various media are activities, historical events, speeches, and music associated with the university. Much of the video documents athletic and school spirit activities such as pep rallies and football game activities and there are other segments documenting campus speakers and ceremonies as well as promotional and news pieces. A highlight of the collection is footage of President Kennedy’s 1963 Commencement address. Appendix A contains a detailed description of many VHS tapes in the collection. Media in the collection date from 1930-2005, with the bulk of the material either on film or video. For information on this collection, consult the inventory.
-
Mortar Board
- 3 linear ft., 1937-1993
Mortar Board is a National Collegiate membership organization dedicated to scholarship, leadership and service. The collection includes correspondence, memoranda, membership lists, agendas, minutes of meetings, photographs, clippings, and project information. For more information, consult the inventory.
-
Photograph
Collection
- ca.36,000 images, 1898-
The Photograph collection illustrates the history of SDSU through photographic image. The collection is vast and includes photos from the Normal School through the current site and is separated by subject or topic, e.g., personnel, buildings, students, faculty, athletics, and activities.
San Diego State University Foundation is a non-profit corporation chartered to provide and augment programs and goals not financially supported by the State of California. The Foundation administers funds for grants and contracts, and oversees real property development and management for the University. The collection consists of bylaws, policies and guidelines, correspondence, minutes, reports, media information, and programs and activities. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
San Diego State University's Centennial Collection chronicles the planning for and celebration of the institution's one hundred year anniversary of its founding in 1897. The collection documents centennial events over a three-year period and includes minutes, correspondence, programs, media information, and video tapes. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
The Senate collection is divided into two series. Series I consists of items Senate-wide concerns, e.g., constitution and by-laws, established procedures, resolutions, and correspondence. Series II consists of committee, subcommittee, and Ad-Hoc committee correspondence, minutes of meetings, and policies and resolutions.
The Topical File collection consists of files relating to varied and diverse campus topics, organized alphabetically by topic.
The Women's Studies program was the first women's studies department established in the nation, in 1970. The collection includes purpose and structure of the program, annual reports, budgetary information, committee correspondence, minutes of meetings, newsletters, brochures, activities, and miscellaneous. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
The WWII Servicemen's Correspondence consists of letters from servicemen originally from San Diego State College. The collection is divided into 3 series. Series I consists of letters sent to Dr. Lauren Post for his information in compiling the "San Diego State College Servicemen's Newsletter." Series II consists of letters sent to Dr. and Mrs. John Adams from personal friends and former students. Series III consists of letters from Dr. Lauren Post and his Kappa Phi Sigma Newsletter.
Dr. Bonnie Zimmerman works for the Academic Affairs division of San Diego State University (SDSU) as the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs. Prior to assuming administrative duties, she was a distinguished Professor of Women's Studies, with capacious publications in numerous journals, books, and anthologies in the fields of Literary Studies and Women's Studies, her work often focusing on the nexus of the two. One of the greatest achievements of this synergy is thearticle, "What Has Never Been," first published in the Fall of 1981 edition of Feminist Studies and later anthologized in the Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism, as well as Feminisms. For more information on this collection, consult the inventory.
