Top Navigation

Side Navigation

Archives & Special Collections

The University Archives is the official repository for university records. Materials housed in the University Archives include records of administrative offices and faculty and student organizations, publications issued by the university, student newspapers, yearbooks, faculty publications, and masters theses, as well as photographs, oral history tapes and memorabilia relating to the university. Contents of the University's time capsule, opened September 23, 1999, as part of the University's Centennial Celebration, are now part of the Archives' permanent collection.

The Archival Collection is a record of the university's contribution to knowledge as well as a reflection of its development and operation.

Special Collections

Special Collections documents the cultural, economic, and natural heritage of west-central Illinois. Special-interest centers include: the Center for Regional Authors, the Baxter-Snyder Center for Icarian Studies, and the Center for Hancock County History including the Mormon Collection. Publications of the Decker Press and a number of Civil War Manuscripts are a significant part of Special Collections. Also included are collections related to naturalist Elton Fawkes, singer Burl Ives, historian Philip D. Jordan and Congressmen Thomas Railsback and Lane Evans, among others. A vast amount of other regional materials, such as county and town histories, oral history tapes, diaries, letters, maps, photographs, and newspaper clippings augment Special Collections, reflecting life as it once was, and now is, in west-central Illinois.

IRAD-WIU

Archives and Special Collections also houses the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD), one of seven centers for local government records in the state of Illinois under the auspices of the Illinois State Archives in Springfield.

The WIU-IRAD covers a 16-county area of west-central Illinois. Because of its location and the nature of its collection, the holding in the WIU-IRAD nicely complement the WIU Special Collections. Holdings and research policies of the WIU-IRAD can be accessed through the Illinois State Archives webpage.

WIU Records Management

The WIU Archives is responsible for the University’s Records Management Program. We work with offices and departments across the University to ensure proper retention and disposition of records, as mandated by the State Records Act of Illinois (5 ILCS 160 et seq.) The Records Retention Manual, also known as the Records Retention Schedule, is available online (Retention Schedules) and lists the records series kept by each University office, the length of time these records are to be maintained, and their final disposition.

Before disposing of University records, each office should consult the Retention Schedules to find the correct records categories, then fill out a Records Disposal Certificate (RDC) and submit it to the Archives. We will obtain authorization from the State Records Commission in Springfield and return the approved RDC to your office. This process takes about 30 days. Offices will also need to fill out a Destruction Log documenting the secure destruction of the approved records.

If you are unable to locate your office or your record category in the Retention Schedules, please call the Archives (298-2717) for assistance. With a few scattered exceptions, the Schedules have not been updated since their creation in 1985. They reflect the structure of the University at that time and can be challenging to use.

If the record categories your office produces have changed over time, or if your office has been affected by University re-structuring, please contact the Archives and the Records Officer will help you create a new or amended Records Inventory.

General Information

The WIU Archives and Special Collections is located on the 6th floor of the University Library.

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; closed on University holidays.

For more information call (309) 298-2717, or send e-mail: malpass-archives@wiu.edu.

Personnel

Dr. Jeffrey Hancks, Unit Coordinator
Associate Professor and Librarian
Email: jl-hancks@wiu.edu
Phone: 309/298-2717
Bill Cook
Library Specialist
Ann Patridge
Senior Library Specialist
Kathy Nichols
Senior Library Specialist
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
Phone: 309-298-2716