Community Members and Organizations

In addition to records and papers of University at Buffalo departments, offices, faculty, and students, the University Archives houses over 250 historical collections on regional and national organizations, topics, events, and individuals of interest. In order to maintain collections that reflect and support faculty research, provide students with research-grounded educational experiences, and deepen engagement with the regional community, the Archives focuses on several distinct collecting areas:

Through its work supporting faculty and students in the Africana and American Studies Department and related disciplines, the University Archives collects material around Black and African American organizations in Western New York. Collections include the Uncrowned Queens digital oral history project; the Buffalo Urban League reports; the St. Philip's Episcopal Church records; the Frank J. Corbett papers; and the Georgia Burnette papers. Some collections in this area overlap with holdings on social activism and women’s history.

Extensive holdings on the relationship between Darwin D. Martin and Frank Lloyd Wright document the planning and construction of the Martin House and Graycliff. Other collections include the papers of Louise Blanchard Bethune, Walter Bird, William S. Huff, and J.J. Polivka.

Collections document local environmental issues, including the Love Canal area disaster, and highlight local activists' work in the areas of women's rights, peace and civil liberties, and race relations. Collections include extensive holdings on the Love Canal environmental and public health crisis; the Sister Rosalie Bertell papers; the Buffalo Schools Desegregation records; the Michigan Avenue Y.M.C.A records; the Eva Noles papers; and the Lydia T. Wright papers.

Collections documenting the diverse histories, religious traditions and cultures of the local Jewish communities are preserved and accessible through a collaboration with the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Buffalo.

In 1977, to mitigate the lack of archival resources by and about women, University Archives launched the Women’s Archives Project. Collections in this area document women’s activities and contributions both at UB and in the Western New York area.  Collections from external organizations include the American Association of University Women, Buffalo Branch records; the Mothers' Club of Buffalo collection; the National Organization for Women, Buffalo Chapter records; and the Pro-Choice Network of Western New York records.

• Administrative correspondence, meeting minutes, planning documents, self-studies, and reports.
• Printed material documenting events and activities including newsletters, programs, invitations, and brochures.
• Photographs of members and events (identified if possible).
• Audio and video recordings of events.
• Digital files including photographic and audiovisual material; contact us for more details.

• Book collections or commercially produced audiovisual material.
• Personal financial records or tax returns.
• Extensive amounts of artifacts, trophies, plaques, or memorabilia.

• The Archives does not accept deposits; donating your materials requires legal transfer of ownership.
• Donors can choose whether to retain copyright or transfer copyright to the Archives.
• The Archives asks but does not require that donors grant limited permission to provide electronic copies for personal study and not-for-profit educational uses.
• Unless stipulated in a donation agreement or required by law, all materials held by the Archives are open to public research. See Restricted Records Policy.
• The Archives may use items from any of its holdings in exhibitions unless access is restricted.
• The Archive strongly encourages a supporting monetary donation with collection materials to assist in processing and facilitating public access.

• The Archives cares for all holdings in a manner that will provide for the physical preservation of the items, including housing material in appropriate containers and maintaining a stable environment.
• The Archives may limit access to originals if items are particularly fragile; in such cases, facsimiles will be made available.
• The Archives creates and maintains an inventory of its holdings and makes this available to the public, primarily in the form of a finding aid. Rather than a catalog record, an online finding aid is a document that consists of specialized metadata that provides information about and context for an archival collection.
• Special Collections of the University at Buffalo Libraries, including University Archives, is open to the public on weekdays (with some exceptions) and provides space for researchers to use collections.