University Archives Research Guide
The University Archives is the official repository for the records of The George Washington University, and the gateway to its past. As the institutional archives, its purpose is to identify, preserve and make available records documenting the University’s administrative and social history, as well as the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Included in the collections are records of the academic and administrative units of the University and its predecessor Columbian College, alumni and faculty papers, yearbooks, photographs, oral histories, student newspapers, publications, posters, blueprints, videotapes, and artifacts. The Archives also overseas the Mount Vernon Seminary and College archives, which documents the history of the school, founded in 1875 by Elizabeth J. Somers, prior to its merger with GW in 1996. This archive records the history of women’s education through manuscripts, publications, photographs, ephemera, and artifacts.
The Special Collections and University Archives Department provides various access tools that allow researchers to locate useful materials.
To find non-book materials: 
To find books: 
To limit your Aladin search to books housed in Special Collections, use the "Set Limit" button and choose GW: GELMAN University Archives in the location field.
To further limit your results to books related to George Washington University, use the guided keyword search and use George Washington University as a keyword in addition to the other keywords or subjects in your search.
For additional guidance use ALADIN help.
Here is a small sample of the diversity of topics, materials, and resources available to researchers:
- The GW and Foggy Bottom Historical Encyclopedia
- Campus publications
- Faculty and Alumni Papers
- Genealogical Research
- Oral Histories
- Photograph collections
- University Archives history
- University Historian G. David Anderson
