Campus Publications

The first formal publication issued by the University of Chicago was the Official Bulletin, a prospectus of the organizational structure of the institution published serially in six numbers from January 1891 to June 1893. Since then, regularly issued publications have continued to play an important role in the intellectual and social life of the University community. Bulletins, newspapers, newsletters, magazines, and other serials have served the needs of administrators, faculty, and alumni, and have also recorded the activities of numerous student groups and extracurricular organizations.

This Guide is a list of over six hundred publications held by the University of Chicago Archives, including alumni directories, yearbooks, student publications, and other similar materials.  The Guide lists only publications relating directly to the history of the University and the activities of the University community. Publications of predecessor institutions such as the Old University of Chicago and Baptist Union Theological Seminary are included. Academic and professional journals edited by members of the University of Chicago faculty or published by the University of Chicago Press such as the Journal of Political Economy and Modern Philology are not included.

Organization

The Guide is divided into two sections: an alphabetical index of titles, and a topical list of titles arranged by type or office of origin. The topical section of the Guide consists of six sub-sections:

I. OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS: Reports of the President and other executive officers, course descriptions, time schedules, convocation programs, and academic regulations.
II. DIRECTORIES, GUIDES, AND HANDBOOKS: University-wide reference publications, including faculty, student, and alumni directories and campus guidebooks.
III. GENERAL NEWS AND CALENDARS: Official or administrative newspapers and newsletters, campus calendars, and schedules of events.
IV. NEWSLETTERS AND PUBLICATIONS OF DEPARTMENTS, DIVISIONS, SCHOOLS, COMMITTEES, AND OFFICES: Annual reports, divisional research reports, departmental student and alumni newsletters, fundraising honor rolls, course guides of departments and divisions, and other publications pertaining to particular units of the University.
V. STUDENT PUBLICATIONS: Newspapers, literary and feature magazines, yearbooks, and newsletters of organizations, political groups, and residence halls. Publications related to particular University departments or schools are included in section IV.
VI. ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS: General interest magazines, and publications associated with the Alumni Association, Citizens Board, Dames Club, Hyde Park community, Quadrangle Club, and Women's Board.

Entries

Each title entry in the topical section of the guide is composed of four elements:

  • Title: given in shortened form, when necessary. An asterisk (*) designates currently received titles.
  • Dates: indicating the range of the Archives holdings and frequency of publication, when known.
  • Descriptor: providing brief identification of publications whose titles are not self- explanatory.
  • Location: indicating shelf locations within Special Collections.
    1. 1 = First floor reference shelves.
    2. A, B, ASF = Can be paged from closed Special Collections stacks.

If more than one location is given, the holdings for each location are listed in brackets. Please consult the online catalog and archival staff for more detailed information about holdings.

Access

All publications in the University Archives are available for consultation by researchers.  Additional copies of some titles are also maintained as part of the General collections of the Library. Copies of University publications may also sometimes be found in archival records of particular University offices or departments, and in collections of papers of individual faculty members; consult the finding aids to individual archival collections, available onsite in the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center and online.

Photocopies

The Archives will accept applications for the photoduplication of any publication unless the physical condition of the material precludes photocopying. Applications and information on procedures are available at the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center circulation desk.