Guides
Wayfinders for our collections, tools, and servicesActivism, Demonstrations, Protest: Archiving Student Activism
This guide outlines a variety of resources to help you be informed when engaging in protests and civil disobedience. It also provides information on Library collections about activism, demonstrations, and protests.
Archival Collections of Stanford Student Protests and Activism
The links below will take you to SearchWorks records for archival collections located in the Green Library Special Collections. See individual records for finding aids and access policies. This is not an exhaustive list of collections and materials that are available from the University Archives. Please get in touch directly with them if you have questions about any materials listed or not listed here.
NOTE: with the exception of the Stanford Activism Exhibit, the majority of the collections listed below are in print or analog formats, which are not currently accessible at this time.
- Stanford ActivismOnline collection of Stanford Student Activism materials from the Stanford University Archives.
- Occupy Stanford collection, 2011The materials consist of websites, fliers, meeting minutes, and posters documenting the Occupy Stanford movement.
- Stanford out of South Africa records, 1985Stanford out of South Africa was a student organization dedicated to eliminating Stanford University's investments in any firms that did business in South Africa. Collections contains flyers, bulletins, press releases, clippings, transcript of a talk by University President Donald Kennedy, and other materials, largely pertaining to the April 1985 sit-in on the Stanford campus.
- Stanford divestment collection, 1985These materials primarily pertain to a meeting of the Board of Trustees in May 1985 that was marked by student protest over the issue of divesting from firms doing business in South Africa. Included are statements by the student group Stanford Out of South Africa, their brochure "A Stanford Divestment Primer," letter to trustees from Mario Huerta on divestment, and clippings. Other items include a letter from Rosamond Bacon pertaining to the sorority-fraternity situation and a press release on new alumni members to the Board of Trustees.
- Anti-war rallies : transcripts, 1970-1971Author, journalist and Stanford student body president in 1966-67, David Harris returns to Stanford to share his reflections on those turbulent times. Harris was a leader of the anti-war movement, issuing the first public call for draft-age men to turn in their draft cards and refuse induction into the Selective Service system.
- Stanford Vietnam Moratorium collection, 1969-1972Clippings, leaflets, statements, and other materials pertaining to the Vietnam Moratorium and other student anti-war activities on the Stanford campus, 1969-72. Included are President Pitzer's statement of May 7, 1970; course lists from SWOPSI and Liberation College, Spring 1970; and "White Paper on the Old Union Sit In," 1970.
- The cost of campus unrest at Stanford University : records, 1968-1970These records appear to have been collected by Andrew M. Doty and pertain to the financial cost of campus unrest; included are press releases, financial accounts, correspondence (largely photocopies), memoranda, notes, and a draft report by Doty on the cost of campus unrest at Stanford University from 1967 to 1970.
- Stanford student unrest collection, 1968-1972Collection pertains to the antiwar movement of college students and the resulting disruptions on college campuses, in particular that of Stanford University. Collection includes press releases from the Stanford News Service, memoranda, statements and handouts from student organizations, statements by the Stanford administration, issues of the Campus Report, magazine articles, and clippings. Incidents specific to Stanford include sit-ins at the Applied Electronics Laboratory, Encina Hall, and the Stanford University Hospital, and the dismissal of Prof. Bruce Franklin.
- April 3rd Movement records, 1969-2014Collection includes flyers, statements by the April 3rd Movement as well as university officials, information sheets (including one for those planning to be arrested), a booklet on SRI produced by the movement, a booklet titled "The Goods on AEL Declassified by the April 3rd Movement", the newsletter "Declassified" produced during the occupation of the Applied Electronics Laboratory, copies of articles, press releases, and issues of the CAMPUS REPORT and the STANFORD DAILY.
- Stanford University student demonstration audio collection, 1965-1970The materials consist of audio recordings of Stanford student demonstrations, sit-ins, and Academic Senate and Council meetings. The materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.
- KZSU Project South interviews, 1965Transcribed interviews with Civil Rights workers in the South recorded by several Stanford students affiliated with the campus radio station KZSU during the summer of 1965. The project was sponsored by the Institute of American History at Stanford. This collection is part of the History of KZSU collection and online exhibit, https://exhibits.stanford.edu/kzsu/feature/project-south-1965
- Peter C. Allen collection documenting student demonstrations at Stanford, 1965-1971Author, journalist and Stanford student body president in 1966-67, David Harris returns to Stanford to share his reflections on those turbulent times. Harris was a leader of the anti-war movement, issuing the first public call for draft-age men to turn in their draft cards and refuse induction into the Selective Service system.
Archival Collections on Activism, Social Justice, and Protest
The following collections are part of the Stanford Libraries Special Collections Department and include online as well as print only materials. This is not a comprehensive list. Please contact our Department of Special Collections with questions about what is or is not included here.
