The staff is available to assist undergraduate students in selecting topics for research based on our collections as well as to provide guidance and strategies for utilizing primary source materials to conduct research.
Our collections are non-circulating and available for use only during our appointment hours. (Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – noon, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.) We suggest students contact us as early in the research process as possible.
Undergraduates are encouraged to make an appointment to consult with an Archivist by contacting us via email at archives@willamette.edu or by calling 503-370-6147.
Examples of research strengths include:
- Willamette University records
- Publications, images, administrative records, research materials, and scrapbooks dating from Willamette’s beginnings. Also available are materials relating to Freshman Glee, one of Willamette’s longest running – and most beloved – traditions.
- Early Salem and regional history
- Manuscripts, diaries, and the correspondence of individuals involved in regional missionary work, settling Salem, and developing Willamette University.
- Congressional and Political papers
- Papers, photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual materials of elected individuals representing Oregon at the state and national level with topics of local and regional interest such as: conservation and environmental issues; women’s rights; and trade issues.
- Pacific Northwest Artists Archive (PNAA)
- Personal papers of artists located in the Pacific Northwest provide the opportunity for studying the art of the region as well as the individual artist. Included in the PNAA are the papers of Constance Fowler and Carl Hall, both former professors in Willamette University’s department of art.