Contact Us
For more information about how to contact the OSU Archives, please visit our Location, Hours, & Staff Information page.
Using Materials>
The holdings of the University Archives are open to faculty, staff, students, and the public for research. Reference assistance is provided by Archives staff to help determine the materials appropriate for specific research projects.
Reference Services
To learn more about our how to do research in an archive, visit our Reference Services webpage.
Archives Instruction
To learn more about our how to use primary sources in the classroom and for course projects, visit our Instruction webpage.
Description of Permanent Records with Historical Value
Permanent Records with Historical Value
All OSU offices and departments generate or have permanent records that at some point may be eligible for transfer to the University Archives. The following common records are found in most units and should be transferred to the Archives when they become inactive.
- Administrative Reports (especially annual and biennial reports) summarize activities for a given period of time, making them one of the most valuable of all historical records.
- Biographical Records provide information about faculty, staff, and alumni of OregonStateUniversity and may include biographical sketches, vitae, newspaper clippings, retirement notices, and obituaries.
- Committee Records (especially meeting minutes) document the activities of advisory boards, faculty committees, and other University organizations.
- Correspondence, Executive documents significant events and the development of administrative structure, policies, and procedures. This may include e-mail correspondence.
- Grant Projects Research Records (especially final research reports) document OSU's major research activities.
- Photographs, Motion Picture Films, and Videotapes provide visual documentation of OSU activities, students, faculty, and the campus.
- Policies and Procedures Records document the policies governing OSU activities and programs and the method or manner of implementing those policies.
- Publications include student publications ( Beaver yearbook and the Daily Barometer campus newspaper); Extension and Experiment Station publications; and departmental and college brochures, bulletins, newsletters, directories, and handbooks that are distributed within the OSU community and beyond.
- Special Event Records document celebrations and milestones in OSU's history and may include programs, substantial promotional and informational materials, and reports of these activities.
