University Archives and Special Collections, a department of the Adelphi University Libraries, is located in the Lower level of New Hall and is composed of two distinct collections: University Archives and Special Collections.

University Archives serves as the primary repository for records and information relating to the history, development, organization, and operations of Adelphi University and any of its offices, divisions, schools, or departments. In addition to official records of the University, the collection includes many other materials published or created by the university and its employees, including The Oracle (the Adelphi yearbook) and The Delphian and other Adelphi newspapers. In addition to print materials, the archives includes manuscripts, graphic materials, audio-visual materials, photographs, electronic records, and artifacts. University Archives houses information about Adelphi that originated outside the university, including newspaper and journal articles. Adelphi newspapers, from 1921 to 2003, are available to the Adelphi community through the university intranet (http://dtsearch/).

Special Collections includes library materials in various formats, which are separately housed in a secure environment to protect and preserve rare, valuable, or fragile materials. The consolidation of books and other materials closely related in subject or format also allows for easier access and emphasizes the magnitude of the research material. Adelphi has 28 individual special collections on a wide variety of subjects, including the William Cobbett Collection, the William Hone Collection, and the Panama Canal Collection.

Items in Special Collections and selected items in Archives are included in ALICAT. Materials in these collections cannot be checked out, but may be used in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room.

For more information on using the Adelphi archives, please read the guide on University Archives and Special Collections: Information on Access and Use.

Research links to other special collections and primary sources of information

University departments wishing to learn more about depositing materials into the archives can find more information in the handout Instructions for Offices Depositing Materials in the Adelphi University Archives.