Archivist
1408 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
(MC-522)
LibGuides
Digital Content/Image Database
Images, scanned content, and born-digital content can be found by searching for Digital Content within the University Archives catalog.
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections
This collection contains digitized newspapers from across Illinois. Their text is fully searchable, and you can conduct a robust faceted search through the INDC’s website.
- Daily Illini Newspaper (41/8/801)These newspapers are fully digitized through 1975 and are a wealth of information about local and campus goings-on. Fully text searchable, and the database allows you to search through all scanned volumes at once, making this a great starting point for any research topic.
Board of Trustees Reports (1/1/802)
These reports are the key to jumping into almost any University-related topic in the Archives. The BOT votes and reports on just about everything that goes on at the University. We have print volumes of these in the reading room which are all indexed. There are several digital access points for these.
- UI HistoriesSearch all digitized BOT reports at once. The caveat is that sometimes the AI doesn’t properly recognize the text, so if you’re not getting results in a year that you think you should be, try checking one of these other access points for a range of relevant years.
- BOT Report PDFsYou can search by volume/year or by meeting, if you know the exact date. These PDFs are searchable and indexed at the end. I suggest downloading the relevant volumes for the fastest search results.
Illio Yearbooks (41/8/805)
These yearbooks have been fully digitized through 2007. Each volume is full-text searchable. I prefer to use the editions on the IDMYC site as it is easier to locate volumes by year in that repository.
Ready Reference Files (RF)
These are physical folders used in the Archives reading room. They typically contain copies of printed material, and the topics covered reflect subjects that are frequently inquired about.
Alumni/Faculty Biographical File (26/4/1)
These are physical folders used in the Archives reading room. They typically contain newspaper clippings, photos, and other biographical information from the Alumni Association. Not all alumni/faculty are represented, but if you need information on a person, ask the reference team and we’re always glad to check whether a folder exists.
UI Histories Project
Created by Kalev Lettaru and transferred to the University Archives c. 2011, this website is an invaluable source for history about the founding of the University of Illinois, buildings on campus, gifts/memorials, collections, student life, milestones, the Board of Trustees, special collections, and has its own digital library. This site is an excellent starting place for research on any of those topics, as its content is largely sourced from the Archives and cited well. As with any secondary source, however, there are some errors so you should do your due diligence when researching and citing facts from the website.
Pocket Facts
Pocket Facts is produced by the Office of University Relations, and data are provided by the Office for Planning and Budgeting. Both offices are units of University Administration.