The SC State Historical Collection & Archives is located on the 3rd floor of the Miller F. Whittaker Library.
Email: archives@scsu.edu
Tel: 803-536-8627
Research Hours: Mon-Thur 9am - 1pm All other times by appointment
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Materials in the SC State Historical Collection & Archives can be found using the Miller F. Whittaker Library Catalog.
The University Archives contains historical records from campus offices and departments dating from the founding of the college in 1896.
University Records
The SC State Historical Collection & Archives maintains the permanently valuable records of SC State University. This group of materials includes but is not limited to the following: Administrative Records (i.e., Board of Trustees' Minutes, General Files from the Office of the President), Administrative Services (i.e., Accreditation Reports, Annual Reports, Committee Files), Photographs, Architectural Drawings, Personnel (i.e., Personnel Policies and Procedures), Accounting (i.e., Financial Report Annual), Athletic Department (i.e., Programs, Scrapbooks), and Department Papers (i.e., Professors (selected), Programs, Workshops/Lectures).
University Publications
This includes various publications produced by or for the University, such as annual reports, yearbooks, calendars, recruitment material, alumni magazines, student newspaper (THE COLLEGIAN), directories, catalogues, and other serial publications.
Donated Materials
These materials are often donated by alumni, which include records/artifacts that reflect the "University experience" from a personal perspective (i.e., student experience) or mirror the broader collection focus. Donations such as these contain papers, records, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, yearbooks, funeral programs, correspondence, and *three dimensional artifacts (i.e., letter sweaters, trophies, medals, plaques, banners, mugs).
Photographs
The pictorial records of the Historical Collection incorporate more than 20,000 images in the form of prints, picture post cards, photographic albums, and a limited number of negatives. Many of the collection photographs are located in a hanging file system, which relates to people, places, and /or events (University faculty, students, alumni, buildings, classes, and extracurricular activities).
Archival material is made of inactive records that have been evaluated and kept because they have historical or research value. They are usually unique, paper records, and are therefore different than published books you find on a library shelf. Due to their uniqueness and research value, they must be kept in a secure area and be handled carefully.
A finding aid is a document that describes an archival collection. It gives information about the creator of the collection, its scope, and the kinds of documents that are included in it. It will also have a list of the files in each box of the collection. Archivists make an effort to keep collections in the same order in which they were created and/or used, so each collection has a unique arrangement.