Georgetown University Archives

Below you will find a listing of the major categories of records found in the University Archives. This is not a comprehensive list by any means. For more information on these materials, including more detailed descriptions and collection size, consult this document. Researchers are strongly encouraged to contact a University Archives staff member for more individualized help in determining if records are available on a particular topic. Remember, the Archives are not open like library stacks and the University Archives Access Policy determines the availability of these materials.

University Governing Bodies and Administrative Offices: This grouping includes records of the Board of Directors, University Presidents, and other senior administrative offices like the Provost, University Vice President, Vice President for Administration and Facilities, and the Vice President for Financial Affairs and Treasurer.

Academic Records: This grouping includes copies of University catalogs and prospectuses, commencement records, entrance books, student and faculty registers, records of the Prefect of Schools, records of the Prefect of Discipline, and Registrar's Office records.

Records of Schools and Departments: This grouping includes records from various schools and departments including those now defunct. Records of the Law School and Medical School are included up to the mid-1900s.

Business Records: This grouping includes the early financial records of Georgetown, property files, and bequests made to the University in the wills of various people.

Audio-Visual Collections: This grouping includes an extensive photography collection documenting people, places, and events, audio reels of the Georgetown Radio Forum, and numerous audio and film reels and tapes of University events, including athletic events.

University and Student Publications: This grouping includes print copies of publications like the Georgetown Alumni Magazine, Ye Domesday Booke and other yearbooks, various faculty and departmental newsletters, The Hoya, The Voice, and various other student publications, among many others.

Student Organizations: This grouping includes records from groups like the Philodemic Debate Society, Students of Georgetown, Inc. (The Corp), Mask and Bauble, GERMS, Georgetown Solidarity Committee, and many others.

Athletics: This grouping includes both print and audio-visual records of the various sports teams on campus, some of which date back to before the organization of intercollegiate play.

Alumni Records: This grouping includes material such as correspondence, news clippings, speeches, student essays, and other material related to individual alumni. The bulk of this material dates from 1820-1970 and doesn't account for every alumnus.

Archives Subject Files: This grouping presents a large and important body of records in the Archives and includes materials from virtually every grouping listed above from the 1790s up to 1970. This grouping is not an active body of records and does not grow in size like the groupings above. The organization of these materials is a hold-over from the way the early administrators of the University Archives used to maintain the records prior to 1971, that being a subject-based filing system rather than by office of origin as is traditional in most American archival repositories. This organization can make it a little difficult to search for relevant materials and researchers are strongly encouraged to work with the staff in the University Archives to properly identify relevant materials in this grouping for research. Click here to read more about what records are included in this grouping.