Finding Aids are documents that help you understand a collection and navigate its materials. They include information like a brief summary, topics and subjects, relevant dates, historical notes, lists of contents, and sometimes information about specific items.
The archives have Finding Aids for all of our available collections. If you are uncertain about where to start your search, or whether a specific collection will be helpful to you, searching and reading the Finding Aids will help you decide if a collection has the information that you need.
This section lists the creator of the materials, the size of the collection (measured in boxes and linear feet), storage locations, languages, and a brief description (abstract) of the collection's contents.
Dates describe the time frame in which the collection's materials were created. This can be a single date (ex. June 24, 1988) or a time span (ex. May 1900 - February 1901) or many time spans (ex. 1900-1919, 1960-1967).
The person, institution, or organization that created the materials in the collection.
Some collections contain sensitive information, such as personal information, medical histories, or grades. This information might be protected by law, or might be restricted by the person who donated the collection. This means some collections have limits on who can read or reproduce them. If there are any restriction on items in the collection, those are included in this section.
Researchers and scholars sometimes want to include images, scans, or reproductions of archival materials in the articles, books, or presentations they produce from their research. This section explains details like copyright and reproduction permissions for printing these materials.
This section details history related to the collection or biographical information about the creator.
Includes a list of terms, topics, subjects, and people covered in the collection. This is usually linked to other collections with the same subjects and can lead users to materials that are closely related to the collection.
Describes how the materials have been organized. Most collections include different sections (called series and sub-series) that are organized by type of material, format, topic, or some other filing system. Organization is usually determined by the archives staff or the original creator of the collection.
This is a box-by-box, folder-by-folder listing of the materials stored in the collection. It is sometimes also called “container guide."
If the collection has a digital copy available online, this section will provide a link.
This section has additional information that does not fit into other sections. This might include detailed information about organization, donation history, or bibliographies.
Start on the Special Collections and University Archives homepage.
To search our Finding Aids, use the main "Search our collections" search bar.
SCUA Homepage:
Results will load on a new page. Search results include the collection names, brief descriptions, and relevant dates. Click on a collection title to see the full Finding Aid. Use the "Additional Filters" section on the right to fine-tune your search.
Search Results example:
When you click on a collection title, the full Finding Aid page will load. This is where you will find several sections with specific information. At the top of the page you can toggle between the Collection Overview, Collection Organization, and Container Inventory.
At the bottom of the page you can open drop-down menus that display more sections.
Finding Aid example:
Some collections will include a "Digital Material" section at the bottom of the page, which allows you to view and search the collection's materials online. If the collection does not have digital materials, you can contact SCUA to view materials in-person, or receive high-quality digital scans via email.
Digital Material example:
