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About the Collections

The Drake University Archives and Special Collections curate valuable research collections, ensuring continual access to Iowa-centric political materials as well as enduring records and unique materials related to Drake University. These collections provide a comprehensive look into the history of Drake University, encompassing student life, faculty contributions, and institutional development.

Our University Archives contain permanent records, including historical documents from campus entities, as well as photographs, media, manuscripts, and memorabilia.

Special Collections feature rare books, journals, and publications by Drake faculty and alumni, as well as unique print collections.

Please note that some collections may contain harmful, offensive, or misrepresentative content. For more information, read our Harmful Content Statement.

Explore the Archives through our Finding Aids or contact the Archives and Special Collections directly for assistance.

Featured Collections

University Archives

The University Archives is the official repository for all materials related to Drake University. It preserves the university's history through various collections, including records from administrative units, academic departments, faculty, staff, alumni, and affiliated organizations. These collections, which hold lasting historical significance, encompass various formats, such as photographs, documents, media, manuscripts, memorabilia, and digital files.

Drake Digital Collections

The Drake Digital Collections include over 90,000 items digitized from the collections of Cowles Library and the Drake University Archives and Special Collections.

eScholarShare

eScholarshare is our open-access institutional repository that collects, preserves, and distributes materials produced or maintained by the Drake community. Eligible submissions include journal articles, dissertations, theses, and conference papers.

Special Collections

Special Collections consist primarily of rare and special printed materials that hold long-term, historical research potential for academic programs. The collections support various research and teaching activities in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Political Papers Collections

Political Papers Collections include records from Iowa lawmakers or records that document Iowa's political processes, including the Iowa Caucuses.

Iowa History

The Iowa History collections document the social history of the Des Moines area and the state of Iowa. Notable collections include the Cowles Family Papers, the Drake Neighborhood Association Collection, and the History of Oskaloosa College.

Web Archives

The Drake University Archives and Special Collections Web Archives are curated collections of archived web content captured and preserved using the Archive-IT platform.

You can browse all collections by title in ArchivesSpace (including those in the Drake Law School Archives) or search by keyword across collections.

To view the areas of collecting interest for the Archives and Special Collections please visit our Collection Development Policy section.

Finding Aids

Finding Aids are online documents providing detailed information about collections. That information includes content descriptions and links to digitized material or related sites. Collections range from University records to manuscripts and political papers. ArchivesSpace is a keyword-searchable database of all archival material available in the Archives and Special Collections. Collections awaiting processing do not have finding aids.

Please contact the Archives and Special Collections if you require assistance.

Finding Aid Tutorial

Record Groups

Record groups are a way of organizing and describing collections of archival materials based on their provenance or source of origin. Browse the various records groups within the Drake University Archives and Special Collections.