Contact Info
Calvin T. Ryan Library

University of Nebraska Kearney
2508 11th Avenue
Kearney, NE 68849-2240

Tel: (308) 865-8599
Fax: (308) 865-8722

University Archivist and Digital Repository Manager
Laurinda Weisse

Email: weissell@unk.edu
Tel: (308) 865-8593


Processing and Outreach Arhivist
Jenny Haddon

Email: haddonj@unk.edu
Tel: (308) 865-8399

University Archives & Special Collections


The Archives has been relocated during renovation. Walk-in is unavailable. Please schedule appointments so we can retrieve materials before your visit.

The Archives Collection Development policy is available in pdf format.

Digital Repositories

OpenSPACES@UNK is the digital repository of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. OpenSPACES@UNK supports UNK’s core values through stewardship of the University’s intellectual property. Research, scholarship, and creative works of faculty, students and staff are gathered, preserved, and shared with a global audience. OpenSPACES also makes available University publications, images, and recordings, as well as Archives and Special Collections materials. The collections reflect the quality, depth, and diversity of the intellectual activity of the UNK community. OpenSPACES@UNK is administered by the Calvin T. Ryan Library and serves as a digital home for these materials.

Nebraska Scholarly Commons, provided by the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries (UNCL), serves all four University of Nebraska campuses--Kearney, Lincoln, Medical Center, and Omaha.


Special Collections

The Special Collection is comprised of materials on select subject areas, such as the history of Nebraska, the Great Plains, and settlement of the West. For this Collection the Library is committed to assembling primary and secondary scholarly materials on specific topics that support UNK's curricular and research needs.

All materials in the Special Collection have been catalogued and can be identified using the "Search" box on the Library's home page. Materials may only be used in the Archives. Unless the materials are deemed too fragile, the archivist will scan requested items. Photography of most items is also permitted.


Archives

The University Archives are comprised of several collections of materials produced by the institution in the course of conducting its business. Materials date from as early as 1905, and include items as diverse as the deeds to the land the University occupies to the copper container used as the time capsule when the Administration Building was built. Materials are collected in all formats, including original papers and documents, publications, photographs, and audiotapes.

About 1700 items have been catalogued and can be identified using the "Search" box on the Library's home page. Most of the items have not been catalogued, however, but can be identified using one of the finding aids listed below.

Please note that some items have not been processed. If you cannot find what you need, please consult the University Archivist.

Finding aids are available for the following:
  • Index to the Donald K. Briggs Collection - Photographs of virtually all activity at UNK during the period 1960-1990
  • Correspondence - Office of the President (1905-1926) and Placement Bureau Files (teachers) - 1919 and 1920
  • UNK Archives Index - See what is available in the library's Archives
  • Antelope Index - The Antelope is the student newspaper of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. It was founded in 1910 and continues to the present.

The following items are available as PDF's:


Blue and Gold 1950

The Blue and Gold yearbooks were published most years from 1908 through 1973, and from 1980 through 1990. Although the content varied as times changed, most volumes contain a section about faculty and staff, student photos by class, student organizations and life, as well as campus events and sports. Together, the Blue and Gold Yearbooks are an irreplaceable photographic chronicle of the institution through most of its history. About 40 print volumes are held in the Book Collection and can be checked out. For access to the print volumes held in the Archives, please consult a librarian. PDF files of all the yearbooks produced are available below.



1908 - 1929
1908 1910 1912 1915 1917 1919 1921 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929

1930 - 1939
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

1940 - 1949
1940 1941 1942 1943 1946 1947 1948 1949

1950 - 1959
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

1960 - 1969
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965-1 1965-2 1966-1 1966-2 1967-1 1967-2 1968-1 1968-2 1969-1 1969-2

1970 - 1990
1970-1 1970-2 1971-1 1971-2 1972-1 1972-2 1973-1 1973-2 1980-1 1980-2 1981-1 1981-2 1982-1 1982-2 1983-1 1983-2 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990


Additional Resources

As with items in Special Collections, materials may only be used in the Archives. Unless the materials are deemed too fragile, the archivist will scan requested items. Photography of most items is also permitted.

The University Archives and Special Collections are available to anyone with a need for them. While walk-ins are welcome, archivist assistance is usually necessary for identifying relevant materials and using them; you are encouraged to contact the archivist before visiting. If you would like more information about the Archives and Special Collections, please contact Laurinda Weisse or Jenny Haddon.

If would like to make an appointment select the Schedule Appointment button below.