University Archives & Acadiana Manuscripts Collection
University Archives
The University Archives houses the archival records of the University starting in 1900. The Archives is especially strong in the records of the Office of the President. Other materials include records from the Student Government Association, the Registrar’s Office, and the Department of Speech. There is a large collection of photographs starting in the 1900s and football game films from 1968 to 2000.
Photographs of Southwestern Louisiana Institute from albums compiled by Presidents Edwin L. Stephens and Lethar E. Frazar between 1923 and 1940 are available online through the Louisiana Digital Library.
Acadiana Manuscripts Collection
The Acadiana Manuscripts Collection includes over 500 collections of personal or family papers, business or organizational records, photograph collections, oral history recordings, and much more. Most of the manuscript collections relate to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, but several have a much broader scope.
Among the subjects covered in these collections are agriculture, the oil industry, architecture, education, literature, local and regional history, politics, and women’s history. The larger collections include the Rice Millers Association Records, the Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Association Records, the Jefferson Caffery Papers, the Edwin E. Willis Papers, the David R. Williams Papers, the Ollie T. Osborne Papers, the Mary Alice Fontenot Papers, the [Freeland] Barnett Studio Photographic Collection, the Robert F. and Edwin S. Broussard Papers, and the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company Records/Godchaux Family Papers.
Recently the Archives added 2,400 reels of microfilmed Louisiana colonial records copied from repositories in Europe and North America. These records formerly were housed in the Center for Louisiana Studies.
Manuscripts are larger holdings and Miscellaneous Manuscripts are small collections, less than 2½ inches.
Find Archival Materials
Materials are housed in Special Collections. Collection guides are available in the Jefferson Caffery Reading Room.
Online listings of materials are available via the Dupré Library Catalog and the Special Collections Finding Aids.
Special Collections services are open to the public, be they University-affiliated or not. Making appointments in advance is strongly recommended, though not required.
Users can make requests using the following methods:
- Visit: All materials in Special Collections are non-circulating and cannot leave the Reading Room. When requesting archival materials, a request form needs to be completed for each individual collection.
- Appointment: Users can complete a Research Appointment Form so Special Collections staff can pull appropriate materials in advance.
- Call: Users may contact the Special Collections reference desk at (337) 482-6031.
- Mail: Mail requests will be forwarded directly to the Reference Archivist. Digitization requests by mail will be forwarded directly to the Digitization Archivist.
- Email: Users may contact Special Collections at speccoll@louisiana.edu. Email responses are normally sent within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
- Chat: Users may make requests through the Ask Us! Special Collections chat. A staff member at the reference desk will answer promptly.
Citations & References
For guidance on citations and references to archival materials, view the Special Collections References Citations Research Guide.
Digitization
For information on digitization, see Dupré Library's Digitization and Photoduplication Policy. To request digitized items, complete a Digitization Request Form.
Interested in Donating to the Archives?
Complete the University Libraries' Deed of Gift Form (PDF).
To transfer institutional records to the University Archives, complete the University Libraries' Internal Transfer Form (PDF).
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Contact
Special Collections
(337) 482-6031 | 3rd Floor | Room 314 | speccoll@louisiana.edu
