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What should I know about phrasing my searches?

How can I filter my search results?

How do I request materials?

To request materials, please select the “Request” button at the top of the finding aid.

Request icon

To request materials, please select the “Request” button at the top of the finding aid page which navigates you to the collection’s catalog record in the UO Libraries catalog. You must sign into your account in order to request materials. For more information, please consult our websites about account registration and requesting materials.

Materials must be requested at least 5 business days in advance of a research visit.

Does this website include all the materials in Special Collections and University Archives?

This website does not include all the materials held in Special Collections and University Archives. Some collections are unprocessed, and there is therefore no online finding aid available. Brief records for unprocessed collections are available in the UO Libraries Catalog. The collection record includes an option to fill out a Notice of Interest in Unprocessed Collections form.

Other materials held by Special Collections and University Archives can be found in:

Glossary of terms and symbols

Archives are materials created or received by a person or organization in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value of the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator. Our department is the designated repository for the permanent records of the University of Oregon.

Collections are groups of materials assembled by a person, family, organization, or repository. They can be divided hierarchically into series, groupings, and files.

Digital records are born-digital and digitized materials that are available online.

Finding aids allow users to discover, understand, and access the materials. Finding aids describe the creation, arrangement, content, and context of collections. Most finding aids on this website contain descriptions on collection-level (also known as fonds-level). These descriptions give you the most general overview of the collection or archive. You can find this in the Collection Overview. Click Expand all to see the whole collection overview. Some finding aids on this website will also contain a hierarchical structure with item-level descriptions. Click Finding Aid View to scroll through the items.

Name records are the people, families, and organizations that create collections. On this website, users can view name records to see all of the materials created by a person, family, or organization.

Subject records are topics, places, and genres used to describe the context and content of the materials. On this website, users can view a subject record to see all of the collections relating to that topic, place, or genre.


Request icon
Use the Request button to place a request for the selected material. For more information about requesting material, see the requesting materials section above.


Preferred citation
Use the Citation button to generate a formatted citation for the material you are viewing. Citations can be generated at all levels of a finding aid, including at the folder or item level. Consult the citation style for your academic discipline.


Download PDF icon
Use the PDF Finding Aid button to access a fully formatted PDF of a finding aid.

What if I have questions? Where should I go for help?

If you have questions about a finding aid, please use the Ask a Question button in the upper right corner of the finding aid. Please consult the help page to see if your question has already been answered before asking a question.

If you have a general question, you are welcome to submit it to spcarref@uoregon.edu