Archives and Special Collections
- Radford University Digital Collections
-
Radford University Archives and Special Collections supports the teaching, research and public service missions of McConnell Library by collecting, preserving, organizing, and making accessible materials that document the history of Radford University, Southwest Virginia, and Appalachia. For information please contact Gene Hyde, Archivist and Appalachian Collection Librarian, at wehyde@radford.edu or 540-831-5692.
-
(Postcard at right: Administration Building, the first building on the Radford Campus)
- The Radford University Archives contains official records, documents, publications, photographs, and other materials related to the history of Radford University. The Archives contain official minutes and notes from the Board of Visitors, RU presidential papers, historic academic and business records, publications such as catalogs, yearbooks, and the student newspapers. Some online collections include:
- Finding Aids for RU Archives
- Grapurchat - Radford's student newspaper from 1921-78
- The Radnor and The Beehive - Radford's student yearbooks
- RU History - Photographs and documents from Radford's history
- Winesett Scholar Archives - papers and projects from Library Research Award winners
- McConnell Library sponsors two awards, the Winesett Book Collecting Contest, which is offered in the Fall Semester, and the Library Research Award, offered in the Spring Semester. Winners of these awards have their papers placed in the Archives and made available on the Archives web site. More information on the winners of these awards is available here:
- Finding Aids for the Appalachian Collection
Highland Summer Conference Collection - Includes streaming videos of performances and interviews with Appalachian writers
Winesett Book Collecting Contest and Library Research Award
Appalachian Music and Culture Blog
Radford University Archives
1937 freshman class in front of McConnell Library
Library Research Award and Winesett Book Collecting Contest
Winesett Scholar Archives - papers and projects from Library Research Award winners
Winesett Book Collecting Contest - winners and information from the first Winesett Book Collecting Contest
Appalachian Collection
The Appalachian Collection contains manuscripts and other primary materials that document the history and culture of Southwest Virginia and Appalachia. Collections include the Highland Summer Conference Collection and the Virginia, Iron, Coal and Coke Company Collection . In addition to these collections, McConnell Library has an extensive collection of books, CDs, video recordings, journals, and other materials related to Appalachia and Southwest Virginia.
Students by the New River on the way to Ingles Ferry, 1938
Special Collections
Finding Aids for Special CollectionsSpecial Collections includes manuscripts and other collections that are not part of the RU Archives or Appalachian Collection, including items from Radford alumni, manuscripts from Supreme Count Justice Arthur J. Goldberg, and other materials.
The Rare Book Collection includes over 6,000 books, including the core collection originally housed in the library when Radford University first opened as the State Normal and Industrial School at East Radford, Virginia, in 1913. Collection strengths include Appalachian and Virginia literature, Virginia and regional history, and 19th Century history and literature. The Rare Books Collection can be searched through the library's online catalog (this search limits to Special Collections).
Visiting the Archives and Special Collections
We welcome visitors and scholars, but we request that you make an appointment. For information or to arrange an appointment, please contact Gene Hyde, Archivist and Appalachian Collection Librarian, at wehyde@radford.edu or 540-831-5692.
All photos are from the Radford University Archives