Special Collections is open to the public and located on the lower level of Ablah Library.
Although walk-ins are welcome, we encourage scheduling a research appointment.
Collections in the University Archives consist of non-current materials that document the administration, people and programs of Wichita State University since its founding as Fairmount College in 1895.
The papers of past presidents, administrators and distinguished faculty, publications by and about the University, catalogs, photographs, student newspapers,and the yearbooks chiefly comprise the holdings.
The University Archives are arranged in Record Groups that reflect the origin of the materials and are the major administrative divisions of the overall collection. Within these Record Groups are distinct collections of materials, some of which are further described in detailed finding aids or inventories.
The Archives Classification Guide (.pdf) lists all collections in the University Archives, the contents of which range from numerous boxes to a single document.
To read about the university's history, click here.
The WSU Libraries' institutional repository SOAR provides access to digital copies of the Parnassus yearbook, selected historical course catalogs and the Sunflower Index, an index of WSU's student newspaper, The Sunflower, from 1896 to 1992.
