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American University Archives and Special Collections

Guide to the collections housed in Archives and Special Collections at American University Library

Frazier Collection

American University Archives and Special Collections

The University Archives is the repository for papers and other documents, including sound recordings and photographs, spanning more than a century of the University’s history.  Archives includes university publications, administrative and faculty records, records of academic units and student groups, and information related to buildings and ground of the university.  Special Collections houses rare materials, such as books, manuscripts, and personal papers. Among the more important holdings are the Artemas Martin collection of mathematical texts, the Charles Nelson Spinks collection of artistic and historical works of Japan, the Irwin M. Heine and William F. Causey collections of literary works, and the Christopher Johnson collection of William Faulkner books. Playbills form a significant set of the collections with the James Carroll and Iris Lipkowitz collections most notable among them. Other significant collections include the Barlett & Steele Archive, the John R. Hickman Collection, the Friends of Colombia Archives, the Records of the National Peace Corps Association, the Records of the National Commission on the Public Service, the Sally L. Smith Papers, the Staples & Charles Archive, and the Records of Women Strike for Peace.  Our newest initiatives are the Peace Corps Community Archive, an effort to document the experiences of Peace Corps Volunteers, and the creation of a social protest collection.