Manuscripts & Archives
History of Manuscripts and Archives
Yale University has a long and distinguished history of collecting and preserving primary resources and making them available for teaching and research. Many of these materials were first collected by faculty and other members of the Yale community to support their own research activities and eventually placed in the library for long-term preservation and wider availability. The library maintained some of these collections, such as the Edward House Collection and the Crawford Theater Collection, as separate entities with their own curators for many years.
Foreign Relations Archives Cooperative
The custom text that appears under all of the boxes lives here. Log into Drupal at
Then click the blue button labeled Edit to alter this text and add/remove links from the boxes above.
Loans of Collection Material
Manuscripts and Archives lends collection material in very limited circumstances:
Harkness Tower in the Snow

View of the top of Harkness Tower on a snowy day. Detail of a photograph from RU 690, Yale events and activities photographs, 1852-2003.
Drawing of the Manuscript Society House

Drawing of the Manuscript Society House in New Haven, Connecticut. From the King-Lui Wu Papers (MS 1842).
Dickinson Family Silhouette

Emily Dickinson's family shown in silhouette. Detail of a photograph in the Todd-Bingham Picture Collection.
Manuscripts and Archives Reading Room, backlit

Light shining through the windows behind the Manuscripts and Archives Reading Room.