Original Deed of General Oglethorpe, 1749. James Edward Oglethorpe Collection, MS 16, Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Archives are what is known as primary sources because they provide a first-hand account of an event by someone who witnessed it or experienced it. They are materials that were created by a person, but have not been interpreted by others. Archives are unique, unpublished resources that are not available anywhere else. Some examples of primary sources in our collections are as follows:
Letter from Oglethorpe University student to his father, 1859. Letter (Oglethorpe) 1859 Collection, MF 55, Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Diary from Oglethorpe University student, 1857. Old Oglethorpe University Collection, MS 12, Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Ivan Allen's Oglethorpe Scrapbook, 1913-1914. Scrapbook, Oglethorpe University Collection, MF 59, Archives, Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia.
A scene from an Oglethorpe University biology laboratory during the 1950s. Part of the Campus Life in the 1950s digital collection.
Archives are any material that been identified as having a lasting historical value. These items document the lives and activities of people, associations, businesses, and university departments. They were given to the archives, most often by the people who created them, so that they could be preserved and made available to others. The material held in the Oglethorpe University Archives is organized and stored differently than in a library. Archival material is organized into manuscript collections or records groups. The size of these collections may be as small as a single item or large enough to fill many boxes. These materials are non-circulating and must be used in the Archives under staff supervision.
The Digital Collections of Oglethorpe University are made up of hundreds of photographs and publications from the Oglethorpe Archives. These images and texts document the extraordinary history of the university.
Yamacraw Yearbooks
Athletics Photographs
Yamacraw Athletics Images
Buildings and Grounds
Campus Life in the 1950s
The Carillon
Course Bulletins
The Flying Petrel
The Stormy Petrel