Explore the University Archives
A lot of information about the Notre Dame Archives can be found on our website. Don’t know where to begin? About our Collections details the main types of records held at the University Archives: official University records, manuscript collections, photographs, audio-visual material, and printed material. Also take a look at our online list of collections and subject guide for our manuscript collections. The subject guide can be a good starting point, but it is not a definitive resource — there may be other collections not listed that address a particular subject, but not on as a large of a scale as those listed.
Subject: Orphanages. Angel Guardian Orphanage in Chicago, run by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ – Six orphans with a banner thanking donors for their Golden Jubilee gift, 1915.
Search our Collections provides an index to our finding aids. This is a text-only database and you will not see any images or documents. Due to the sheer volume of materials in relation to the small staff and resources, most archives do not describe at the item level or transcribe individual items.
The calendared items are found in a separate finding aid. The calendar is a summary of individual documents mostly collected by our first archivist James Farnham Edwards. For more information about the calendar, see this previous post.
The University Archives has also complied a few other Specialized Indexes, including indexes to Scholastic, Voice, and Observer, early students and faculty, and a chronology of theatrical performances on campus.
In order to view items, you will have to visit the University Archives or request photocopies (not all items are able to be photocopied). We are open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. Appointments are encouraged, but not required. Please see Information for Researchers for more information about visiting the University Archives.
We do offer a number of resources online, including online exhibits, full-text publications, and ND Quick Facts. Our online Latin Dictionary is one most visited pages of the entire University’s web site.
GPHR 45/2646: Four Notre Dame Presidents Gathered Together, 1956/1221.
Caption: “Four decades of growth at ND are represented by these Holy Cross priests who have served as president of the famed university. The Most Rev. John F. O’Hara, CSC, (seated left), Archbishop of Philadelphia, was ND president from 1934-1940. Rev. Matthew Walsh, CSC, (seated right) headed the university from 1922-1928. ND’s president today is Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, (standing left) [1952-1987] and his immediate predecessor is Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, CSC, (standing right), director of The ND Foundation, who was university president 1946-1952. The photo was made recently (December 21 [1956]) when Archbishop O’Hara visited the campus.”
Donate your materials
Please also consider donating your materials to the University Archives that fit within our collecting scope. Many of our collections exist because of the generosity of individuals. These materials are preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy.
A page of ephemera from William Schmitt’s scrapbook. Schmitt was a member of the 1909 Western Championship football team. Scrapbooks like this provide an intimate view into the life of a student that is difficult to replicate through other sources.