Duke University Archives

The Duke University Archives is a department of the Library responsible for the acquisition and management of historically valuable University records. We do not acquire materials that are not created by Duke offices or are not about the University, nor do we collect resources for genealogy (apart from that of "our" Dukes). Please contact the Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library if you are looking for the University's rare books and general manuscript collections, including the J. Walter Thompson Company's and other advertising archives. Archival records (not patient records) of the Duke University Medical Center are managed by the Duke University Medical Center Archives, (919) 383-2653.

Contact information, hours, staff, policies, and history

Location: the Archives office is in Room 341 of Perkins Library on Duke's West campus. For campus maps, parking and and visitor information, please see the University's visitors' page.

Address: Duke University Archives, Box 90202, Durham, NC 27708-0202.
Telephone: (919) 684-5637
Fax: (919) 660-5987.
Web site: http://www.duke.edu/web/Archives/
E-mail: archives@acpub.duke.edu . Messages sent to this address are received by all staff members. We will answer inquiries as soon as we can but please note that:

• Requests from Duke students, faculty, staff, and alumni have priority.
• E-mail inquiries are added to the other requests we receive via U.S. and campus mail, telephone calls and fax, and from people who come to the Archives.
• We do not compile statistics, and cannot undertake lengthy research projects
• Please include your name and return e-mail address in the body of your message. Also include a phone or fax number or street address where we can reach you.

Thank you!

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Hours: 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

The Archives is closed on weekends and U.S. holidays (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays).

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Staff members:

• Tim Pyatt, University Archivist,   tim.pyatt@duke.edu
  
• Tom Harkins, Associate University Archivist,  thomas.harkins@duke.edu
• Jill Katte, Technical Services Archivist,  jill.katte@duke.edu
• Nancy Perry, Staff Assistant,   nancy.perry@duke.edu

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Policies

• Using the records
• Access policies for University records
• Transferring office records to the Archives
• Transferring student organization records to the Archives
• Physical requirements for dissertations and honors papers

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History and Mission

The Duke University Archives was established in 1972 by then-President Terry Sanford as the official repository for the archival records of the University. The Archivist at that time reported to the Chancellor. In 1985, the office was placed under the direction of the President. In 2002, the Archives was made part of the University Library system, with the Archivist reporting to the University Librarian.

As the institutional archives, the office's purpose is to identify and preserve administrative, legal, fiscal or historical information that has long term value for the Duke community and to make that information available in accordance with policies approved by the University's Board of Trustees, administration and faculty. The Archives receives the minutes, reports, departmental subject files, personal and official correspondence, sound and video recordings, film, photographs, and other significant records generated in the University's day-to-day activities.

The holdings consist of approximately 8000 linear feet of administrative, legal, fiscal and historical records dating from 1838 to the present. In addition to official university records, the Archives also preserves campus publications and audiovisual materials by and about Duke, papers of faculty members, and records of student organizations and employee groups. We develop collections on significant subjects, such as student activism or town-gown relations, and receive departmental senior honors theses. We advise University offices and organizations about managing records and determining what to preserve.

The staff of the Archives will be happy to direct you to the resources you need to answer questions about the history and development of Duke University, its programs and policies, and the contributions of its faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Please inquire about topics you don't see on the web site. Materials are not loaned out (except that an office may retrieve its own records), and that the use of certain records may be subject to University policies and/or Federal law.