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Stanford University Archives: About the Archives

The Stanford University Archives is the official repository for records of Stanford University and serves as its institutional memory.

About the Stanford University Archives

The Stanford University Archives collects, preserves, administers, and promotes access to materials of enduring historic value in any format pertaining to the history and heritage of Stanford University, including records of Stanford administration and governance, faculty research and teaching, students and alumni, campus activities and events, and Stanford’s relationships with Santa Clara County, the State of California, the region, and the world.

Holdings include more than six miles of archival records, manuscripts, photographs, maps and architectural drawings, posters, books, serials, and audiovisual materials, and over 55 terrabytes of electronic records, within over 2,500 collections.

The University Archives is committed to collecting materials that are inclusive of the broad diversity of our community members. University Archives resources support faculty research for publications and teaching purposes, graduate student dissertations, theses, and course work, as well as undergraduate work. Archives materials are also used in a variety of external research projects, publications, news stories, exhibits, and documentaries. Primary fields of interest are history, higher education, history of science and technology, women's studies, and student life; secondary fields include every academic field taught at Stanford, as archival resources include materials relating to all Stanford departments, programs, and research units.

The Archives is a division of the Department of Special Collections & University Archives, which is committed to acquiring, preserving, and providing access to primary source materials that support the research needs of the Stanford community and beyond. We welcome all students, scholars, and members of the general public to the Field Reading Room in Green Library to access the collections.