Thrift Library: Special Collections: Home

University Archives

The Anderson University Archives and Special Collections is located in the Thrift Library.

The archives contains records and items from Anderson College and Anderson University's past, such as yearbooks, literary magazines, and files from university departments and various faculty. The archives is also home to collections of prominent individuals associated with the institution, including Lily Strickland and Johnny Mann.

What is an archive? Why is it important?

According to the National Archives, an archive is "a place where people can go to gather firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs, and other primary sources."

Archives are important because they preserve the past for future generations.

"Look to the past as a means of weighing the present and the future" - US Senator Richard B. Russell (1897-1971)

Leaders and Graduates of Anderson College - November 5, 1949 - Anderson Daily Mail

Leaders and Graduates of Anderson College - November 5, 1949 - Anderson Daily Mail
This is a PDF of content from the Anderson Daily Mail published on November 11, 1949. The article profiles prominent leaders and graduates of Anderson College.

Digital Collections

The Anderson University Archives partnered with the Internet Archive and Lyrasis to digitize historical documents. To browse the entire collection, click here.

They That Wait
A history of Anderson College written by Hubert Inman Hester and published in 1969.
Orion
Multiple iterations of the institution's literary magazine. The Orion was published from 1916 - 1925.
Ivy Leaves
One of the iterations of the institution's literary magazine. Ivy Leaves began publication in 1964 and is still produced by AU students.
Viewbooks
The Viewbooks are early promotional booklets promoting Anderson College.
Catalog
The title has varied throughout the year between the Catalog and the Bulletin.
Student Handbooks
Student handbooks date back to the 1920s. When Anderson College became co-educational in the 1940s, separate handbooks were published for men and women through the 1970s.
Yearbooks
The original Anderson College yearbook was called The Sororian and was published from 1914 until 1930. The yearbook was resurrected in 1942 as The Columns and remained in publication until 1998.

Historic Photographs

Dorm room in 1915

The library, 1927

Archery, 1942

Theater, 1951

The band, 1974