Mission Statement

The OWU Historical Collection's purpose is to facilitate research related to the history of the university by acquiring, preserving, and providing supervised access to historically significant materials related to OWU constituents. The historical collection serves the three main user groups described in the OWU Libraries Collection Development Policy: the OWU community; the Delaware, Ohio community; and external researchers.

Because this collection is of interest mainly to those with ties to the university, the first priority of the collection is to serve the needs of OWU.

What's in the Collection?

• Artifacts including scrapbooks, portraits, and mementos;
• Building Files containing photographs of and articles about structures currently in use on campus, as well as ones that have been demolished or are no longer owned by the university;
• Faculty and Alumni Publications;
• People Files focused on OWU presidents, faculty, staff, and select alumni;
• Student Departmental Honors Papers;
• Subject Files covering clubs and organizations, special events, and sports; and
• University Publications including yearbooks, alumni magazines, student newspapers, catalogs, and directories

What isn't in the Collection

The OWU Historical Collection is not the department of record for official university documents. For information about student transcripts, please contact OWU's Office of the Registrar.

Genealogical Requests

If you have a genealogical request and want staff to conduct research for you, the historical collection charges a flat fee of $25.