University of Connecticut Archives and Special Collections
The University of Connecticut Archives and Special Collections is part of University of Connecticut Libraries and provides research support to the university and wider public by collecting, stewarding, and providing access to historical, literary, and artistic materials of enduring value.
Archives and Special Collections is open to the public and free to all.
Collections and Collecting Areas
Meaningful collecting areas and notable collections include:The alternative press
The collection consists of newspapers, periodicals and pamphlets of the non-establishment or alternative movements, political, economic and social, of the twentieth century, primarily American. Begun in 1967 when ephemeral campus underground materials were collected by Special Collections Department staff, documentation continued through the 1970s to focus on political and social problems of the decade In addition to subject files on alternative organizations, posters, buttons, and ephemera from social movements in the United States, the APC contains manuscript collections, including the personal papers of activists such as Abbie Hoffman, Cal Robertson, Stephen Thornton, and Foster Gunnison; records of social justice organizations such as the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union; and various topical collections including the Poras Collection of Vietnam War Memorabilia and the Meyer Collection of Fat LiberationChildren's authors and artists
Comprising over 120 archives of notable authors and illustrators of children’s literature native to or identified with the Northeast and East Coast of the United States, the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection has as its purpose to preserve the history of the creation of our best literature written for children. Emphasis is given to the perception of children’s literature as a form of art over other educational or social intentions. Archives are collected to document the process of children’s book creation by authors and illustrators in collaboration with agents, editors, designers and publishers. Creators include Richard Scarry, Marc Simont, James Marshall, Ruth Krauss, Arnold Lobel, Ed Young, Tomie dePaola, Leonard Weisgard, Esphyr Slobodkina, Joanna Cole, Grace Lin, Natalie Babbitt, Barbara Cooney, Mary Ann Hoberman, Norman H. Finkelstein, Jean Marzollo, Barry Moser, Robert Andrew Parker, Candice F. Ransom, Cyndy Szekeres, and Rosemary Wells.Connecticut business
The Connecticut business collections document Connecticut’s evolution from an agrarian society to one that played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The archives comprise daybooks from grist mills, dairy farms, and quarries of the early 19th century to annual reports and stock statements of companies whose dealings extended internationally in the mid and late 20th century. The majority of the archives are of businesses that made Connecticut an industry leader in the 19th and early 20th century/ Products include textiles and silk, brass and hardware manufacturing, clocks and watches, heavy machinery and tools, and telecommunications, with some collections in the areas of banking, rubber manufacturing, knitting needles, surgical sutures, toiletries and thermoses.Connecticut labor history
The labor history collections document the activities of workers and labor unions in Connecticut in the twentieth century. The collecting area holds collections of mainly three distinct groups: the personal papers of labor activists, most of whom were active in the mid-20th century, including Dominic Badolatot, Henry Becker, Roger Borrup; labor unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO of workers at the state’s Pratt & Whitney or Hamilton Sunstrand plants; and labor councils, particularly the State Labor Council and the Greater Hartford Labor Council. Other collections include the records of the university’s Labor Education Center and two AFSCME related groups. The focus is almost solely on workers and labor unions in Connecticut in the 20th century.Connecticut politics and public affairs
Records of delegates from Connecticut to the United States Congress from 1933 to the present including Thomas J. Dodd, Sam Gejdenson, Joseph D. Duffey, Nancy L. Johnson, John G. Rowland, Prescott S. Bush, William R. Cotter, Barbara B. Kennelly, Francis T. Maloney, Stewart B. McKinney, William R. Ratchford, Robert N. Giaimo, Abraham Ribicoff, Robert R. Simmons, Christopher Shays, Bernard F. Grabowski, and Bruce A. Morrison. In support of these materials, there are additional collections from select individuals and organizations involved in political/civic issues at the state level such as Bob Englehart, Vivien Kellems, Herman Wolf and the Caucus of Connecticut Democrats.Fine press books and artists' books
Holdings include a wide variety of materials that reflect the evolution and innovation of the book as a creative medium. Among its holdings are fine press editions, limited-run publications, distinctive signed and designer bindings, artists’ books, and notable association copies. Since the late 1970s, the department has actively acquired experimental and artists’ books with the aim of supporting pedagogical and scholarly engagement, particularly for students in the fine and graphic arts.A wide range of physical structures and fabrication techniques is represented. Works in multiple languages by both national and international artists contribute to the collection’s global scope. In addition to primary works, the collection includes reference literature and exhibition catalogs that provide contextual grounding and critical insight into the field of book arts.