Welcome to the History of Education Society
Archives and Other Collections of Materials on the History of Education
Suggestions from the Membership
Archival agreements for personal collections:
Maher, W. J. (1994). Ensuring continuity and preservation through archival service agreements. Archival Issues, 19 (1), 5-18; there is a model agreement included as an appendix.
United States
General/National
Archives
HathiTrust: http://www.hathitrust.org/
You can conduct a catalog search from this page, but you can also apply an LC classification visualization through the link at the bottom-right:
LA - History of Education shows 1,273 items available
LH - College and student magazines and papers shows 920 items available
On-line Sources
Images of Lancastrian Schools: Google images lists over 1500 images
The “Nietz Old Textbook Collection” is a full-text collection with digital editions of 140 schoolbooks and two surveys of historic schoolbooks by John Nietz available at: http://digital.library.pitt.edu/nietz/
The collection is primarily nineteenth century textbooks however there are secondary sources and search tools located at the site. I also felt the site would be of interest to many others. (David J. Roof)
Archival Sources for Historians: National/Transnational
The American Historical Association's Archiveswiki "is intended to be a clearinghouse of information about archival resources throughout the world" designed mainly for historians, although others may find it useful:
http://archiveswiki.historians.org/?RefBy=FN
Alabama
None listed at this time.
Alaska
None listed at this time.
Arizona
None listed at this time.
Arkansas
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock
--the largest collection of Native American press materials in the world housed in the Sequoyah Research Center and American Native Press Archives. Dan Littlefield (dflittlefiel@ualr.edu), Jim Parins (jwparins@ualr.edu), and Bob Sanderson (resanderson@ualr.edu) have been traveling to tribal councils all across America at their own expense every summer for over thirty years requesting that the press materials be made available to them
--a very large and high quality collection of Native American art that makes the trip to Little Rock worth the effort all by itself.
California
None listed at this time.
Colorado
None listed at this time.
Connecticut
Archives
Connecticut Historical Society Library
--items of interest, including the accounbt books of Stephen Coit, merchant, who sold goods to Prudence Crandall, teacher in Connecticut
Yale University
Museums
Prudence Crandall Museum, Canterbury
--home and school, which was the first Academy for African-American women, in the 1830s; has archival documents and links to other archives
Personal Collections
Tedd Levy, PO Box 20, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 (tedd.levy@sbcglobal.net)
(Former social studies teacher, with varied collection or pre-1920 public school collection; no guides; only K-12)
-- postcards of schools, teachers, students and other school views;
-- correspondence by or about teachers and teaching;
-- photographs;
-- some student assignments, writing books, etc.
-- some catalogs of school materials and furniture;
-- rewards of merit;
-- report cards;
-- school souvenir booklets;
-- some reports from Superintendents of Education, and others;
-- some common school publications and
-- miscellaneous items.
On-line Document Sources
Needs
Delaware
None listed at this time.
Florida
None listed at this time.
Georgia
Archives
Emory University
the papers of Dr. Ulysses Byas, a black principal
Hawai'i
Archives
Hawaii State Archives
Archives of the government of Hawaii (1790 to present), including documents on schools.
Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society Library
Records, personal journals, letters, and photos, 19th-century Congregational missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands. Includes information on schools and missionary teachers.
University of Hawaii Library
The University Archives holds records on the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
University of Hawaii Library Archives
The Hawaiian & Pacific Collections house records on schools and other documents on Hawaii and other Pacific Islands.
Hawaiian & Pacific Collections
Center for Oral History, University of Hawaii
The Center preserves recollections of Hawaii’s people through oral interviews. Transcripts of the interviews are available at the University of Hawaii Library and the Hawaii State Library. Contact the staff for particular transcripts that relate to schools and schooling in Hawaii.
Idaho
None listed at this time.
Illinois
Archival Collections
Loyola University at Chicago:
Holds the Women and Leadership Archives at Loyola University Chicago (WLA). Collections include the Mundelein College Records, which relate directly to women and education in some form: Chicago all-girls Catholic high schools, all-women Catholic colleges, women in higher education, women religious as educators, women in education reform, and women educators.
(note: the WLA Director interested in expanding the collections in the area of women's education or women in education because it is such a cornerstone of our overall collection strength, especially women or women's organizations involved in Chicago Public Schools or the Cook County Board of Education, but I would welcome just about anything under the broader umbrella of women/education (please contact Beth Myers: emyers@luc.edu)
Indiana
None listed at this time.
Iowa
Archival Collections
State Historical Society Library in Des Moines:
Archivist: Shari Stelling (shari.stelling@iowa.gov ph) 515-281-5070
--a collection of 28 teaching certificates issued to Ella Pullman while she was teaching in one-room schools in Adams, Taylor and Guthrie counties in Iowa; second and first class certificate issued from 1876-1901 (to be given to the library in July 2010)
Kansas
None listed at this time.
Kentucky
None listed at this time.
Louisiana
None listed at this time.
Maine
None listed at this time.
Maryland
None listed at this time.
Massachusetts
None listed at this time.
Michigan
Archival Collections
The Walter P. Reuther Library, Detroit:
AFT Southern Regional Office Collection 1968-1999
-- contains information about AFT organizing drives, collective bargaining issues and
various education reform initiatives in the Southern Region of the United
States including the Virgin Islands. Of note will be correspondence with
the AFT from Louisiana, New Orleans, United Teachers of Dade, Fort Bragg and
United Faculty of Florida from the 1970s-1990s. Some notable issues are the
Right to Eat, vouchers and social promotion.
http://reuther.wayne.edu/node/6641
For more information please contact Dan Golodner at ad6292@wayne.edu
Minnesota
None listed at this time.
Mississippi
None listed at this time.
Missouri
None listed at this time.
Montana
None listed at this time.
Nevada
None listed at this time.
New Hampshire
None listed at this time.
New Jersey
None listed at this time.
New Jersey
None listed at this time.
New York
Archives
Buffalo State College has catalogued and collected over 5,000 pieces of Science Education Curricula that is mostly from the post-sputnik National Science Foundation funded “alphabet” materials. The archive also has many antique science methods and science text books that go back to the early 1800’s. Additionally, there are manipulatives and multi-media products that were part of the various science programs:
http://www.buffalostate.edu/stc/documents/Books.pdf
(Catherine Lange, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences and Earth Science Education)
Hofstra University: Long Island Studies Institute
The Nila Banton Smith Historical Collection in Reading contains primers, readers, textbooks, and teachers’ manuals related to the teaching of reading from the colonial times to the present. It forms a complement to the instructional materials on reading held in the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) in Hagedorn Hall. The collection was brought together by H. Alan Robinson; major contributors include Lenore Sandel, Melanie Freese, Vincent Faorone, and Julius Chodorow.
Long Island Studies Institute
032 Axinn Library
123 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-1230
(516) 463-6411
Municipal Archives, NYC
Holds NYC Board of Education Archives, including records of NYC schools from 1840s to 1960s, including photo archives (turn of 20th c. to 1960s)
www.nyc.gov
New York Historical Society, NYC
Location of the archival holdings of the NY Public School Society and other materials related to schools in nineteenth-century NYC
www.nyhistory.org
New York State Archives, Albany
Holds New York State Department of Education records, and other educational materials
www.archives.nysed.gov/
North Carolina
None listed at this time.
North Dakota
None listed at this time.
Ohio
Archival Collections
Bowling Green State University:
The Center for Archival Collections established the National Student Affairs Archives in 1982. The CAC, interested in establishing special collections reflective of the University's strong graduate programs, began to acquire the historical records from several professional associations involved in student affairs and higher education. Bowling Green State University's masters level program in College Student Personnel and doctoral program in Higher Education and Student Affairs are both recognized as among the best in the nation. Now comprising the institutional papers of numerous national, regional, and state (Ohio/Michigan) professional associations, the private collections of several individuals who have been extremely active in the field, and a cataloged library of books and pamphlets, the National Student Affairs Archives is used extensively by the associations, and by faculty and graduate students. The CAC is committed to actively acquiring additional collections for this special collecting area. If you are interested in using these sources for research or if you are interested in donating collections, please contact Ann Bowers (abowers@bgnet.bgsu.edu) at the CAC.
Student Affairs History Project:
A Wide Variety of Education-Related Primary Sources at BGSU, most from professional organizations, teachers, and students in the region, as well as BGSU/BG Normal College-affiliated students, faculty, and organizations.
The Education Memorabilia Center/Little Red Schoolhouse on the campus of Bowling Green State University is a restored 1875 building with period furnishings and curriculum materials.
The Wood County Public Library in the city of Bowling Green, Ohio also has records of a survey collected in the 1960s (?) of the county's one-room schoolhouses.
On-line Document Sources
Oklahoma
None listed at this time.
Oregon
None listed at this time.
Pennsylvania
Archival Collections
Lincoln University of PA Archives include student newspapers, college catalogues, alumni newsletters, board of trustee minutes, etc., freely accessible to all from the website.
[Susan Pevar, Special Collections Librarian, Langston Hughes Memorial Library]
Penn State University in University Park, PA, has several collections relation to history of visual arts education: The Albert A. Anderson, Jr. and Evelynn M. Ellis Art Education Collection
The National Art Education Association:
The papers of Viktor Lowenfeld, an Austrian emigrant known for his research and post-war teaching in art education, as well as other collections on art education history.
Philadelphia Free Library holds Philadelphia schools archival materials
www.freelibrary.org
Library Company of Philadelphia
Holds a strong collection in the early national period, educational as well as political; includes good material in African American history (including education) and early Jewish education in Philadelphia.
www.librarycompany.org
Balch Institute, Philadelphia
Holds ethnic archives, including much good educational material, including Slavic,
Italian (Leonard Cavello archives), and Jewish (early Jewish religious education in the Philadelphia Jewish Archives, housed at the Balch)
www.balchinstitute.org/manuscript_guide
Rhode Island
None listed at this time.
South Carolina
None listed at this time.
South Dakota
None listed at this time.
Tennessee
None listed at this time.
Texas
None listed at this time.
Utah
None listed at this time.
Vermont
None listed at this time.
Virginia
None listed at this time.
Washington
Archival Collections
The Seattle School District maintains an active archive, including a small museum, and has a trained archivist, Eleanor Toews. This would be valuable for anyone interested in the Northwest or urban school districts:
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/archives/index.xml
See also for state archives: http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/Default.aspx
On-line Document Sources
Needs
Washington State does not have very good statewide collection policy; many local districts in the state could be encouraged to donate their holdings to an appropriate archive, is someone were willing to receive the materials.
Washington, D. C.
Archives
Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
1201 17th Street, N.W./Washington, DC 20036
Director and supervisory archivist: Kimberly Springle. Ms. Springle (202.730.0478)
Sumner School maintains the historical records of the DC Public Schools.
Included in the materials: a complete set of bound Board meeting minutes; a complete (or nearly complete) set of Board meeting transcripts on microfilm; correspondence received by the Board, reports, curriculum guides, etc.; folders for various DC Public Schools.
West Virginia
None listed at this time.
Wisconsin
None listed at this time.
Wyoming
None listed at this time.
International and Transnational/Outside of the U.S.
Germany
Archives
The Library for History of Education Research (Bibliothek fuer Bildungsgeschichtliche Forschung), Berlin, Germany, a fine library for scholars working on the history of education in Germany. The library has over 700,000 volumes, and offers comfortable workspaces for visiting scholars. I would add that the library also contains an archive that holds the personal files of several important European educators including Pestalozzi and Froebel. It is also easily accessible via the U-Bahn (Warschauer Strasse).
The George Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Braunschweig, Germany ( an excellent collection of textbooks, which is strongest in the fields of history, civics, and science. While the library's holdings are particularly rich in terms of German textbooks from the 19th and 20th centuries, there are also materials from throughout Europe. Additionally, the GEI offers short-term research grants to visiting scholars to use the library (and a pleasant guest house for those working at the Institute).
Netherlands
Archives
Online
Nationaal Archief has 27 historical photographs of Dutch school life, all without known copyright restriction, available for tagging, commenting, and downloading)
U.K.
Institute of Education, University of London [Becky Webster. Deputy Archivist, Information Services, Institute of Education, University of London]:
--Institute’s papers which cover the period from our establishment as the London Day Training College in 1902 to the present
--100 deposited collections that cover all areas of education, including all levels of UK education from pre-school and school through to further, higher, teacher and adult education, in formal, informal and experimental settings. It includes research, practice, policy and thought in education and related areas:
Personal papers of significant individual educationists such as researchers, practitioners, policy makers, writers and thinkers (particularly individuals who have a close association to the Institute); Records of corporate bodies such as trade unions, professional bodies, societies, associations, pressure groups and special interest groups; Records of research projects and initiatives.
Leading Educational and Social Research
Lists of separate collections are at:
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/1511.html>http://www.ioe.ac.uk/
services/1511.html
(for papers of individuals)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/1512.html>http://www.ioe.ac.uk/
services/1512.html
(for records of organizations)
Web links to collections and guides
http://archive.ioe.ac.uk/DServe>http://archive.ioe.ac.uk/DServe
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG1_
School_architecture and_design_(March_2009) Subject Guide 1: School architecture and design (pdf) Subject Guide 1: School architecture and design (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG2_
Comparative_Education_(March_2009) Subject Guide 2: Comparative education (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG3_
Progressive_Education_(March_2009) Subject Guide 3: Progressive education (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG4_post-war_educational_reconstruction_(March_2009) Subject Guide 4: Post-war educational reconstruction (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG5_
child_psychology_(March2009) Subject Guide 5: Child psychology (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG6_Voice_
and_Memory_(March_2009) Subject Guide 6: 'Voice' and 'memory' (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG7_
Women_and_education_(March_2009) Subject Guide 7: Women and education (pdf)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/documents/Services_Library/SG8_
family_history_(March_2009) Subject Guide 8: Family history (pdf)
Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick
--Records of the National Union of Teachers, the National Union of Students and the British Educational Research Association (BERA) http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/subject_guides/
education/>http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/subject_
Others in Development
--Guides on careers guidance and counseling, vocational education, the work of ILEA (the Inner London Education Authority) and health education.
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics has in the past couple of months has been posting some great sets of photos of college life, all with "no known copyright restrictions" status, ready for tagging and commenting as part of the Flickr Commons project. Among the sets of particular interest:
LSE Founders and Early Days 1895-1920s (20 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622618340936/
Around the School 1930s (14 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622618744118/
Around the School 1940s (19 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622494371009/
Around the School 1950s (14 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622494388421/
Around the Schol 1960s (62 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622492394527/
Around the School 1970s (80 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622492545507/
Around the School 1980s (80 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622492586053/
Around the School 1990s (6 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622618893958/
Formal LSE Staff Portraits (58 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/sets/72157622618001338/