University of Illinois Archival Resources

University Archives

The University Archives, located in the basement of the main Library, houses the largest collection of historical manuscripts in Illinois.  The focus of the collection is American social, intellectual and cultural history.  The holdings include a massive collection of faculty and alumni papers relating to the University and the Urbana-Champaign campus.  If your ancestors attended the University or were members of the UIUC faculty, there may be material pertaining to them in the collections of the University Archives. 

The Archives maintains a massive Alumni and Faculty Biographical File (Morgue), 1882-1995, with information on deceased and living alumni, faculty members, trustees, and former students.  This file was created by the Alumni Association and augmented by University Archives staff.  You should consult with the staff to determine if there is information on a particular individual.  There is also a collection of microfilmed alumni record cards, 1882-1981, with dates of graduation and directory information.   

The Archives also houses copies of the Student-Staff Directory (1917- ), the student yearbook, The Illio (1895- ), the Semi-Centennial Alumni Record (1918), the University of Illinois Directory for 1929, including the names of all students who have attended the Urbana departments of the University (1929), and the printed University of Illinois Alumni Association membership directories.  There are copies of some of these resources in other sections of the Library, such as the bookstacks, Student Life and Culture Archive, Reference Library, and the Illinois Historical Survey. 

Most of the collections in the Archives are described in their searchable database:  http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/archon/index.php

            Contact information
            website:  http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/
            phone: 217-333-0798
            e-mail: illiarch@uiuc.edu

Student Life and Culture Archive

The Student Life and Culture Archive was established in 1989 with the support of the Stewart S. Howe Foundation Endowment to collect and preserve materials documenting all aspects of student life at UIUC.  The collections include correspondence, administrative reports, scrapbooks, programs, photographs, organizational records, and student publications dating from the founding of the University in 1867 through the end of the 20th century.  The collections are housed at the Archives Research Center in the former Horticulture Field Laboratory at 1707 S. Orchard Street in Urbana. 

For more information about the Student Life and Culture Archive, see the web site at http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/slc/ or contact the Archivist, Ellen Swain (217-333-7841 or eswain@uiuc.edu). 

Illinois Historical Survey

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