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Archives & Special Collections -
specialcollections@scu.edu
Archives & Special Collections Librarian
Monica Keane
Contact:
Norman F. Martin Reading Room
Archives & Special Collections
Library and Learning Commons, 3rd floor
Archives & Special Collections
Library and Learning Commons, 3rd floor
408-554-4094
Digital Collections by Topic
The Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection consists of hundreds of manuscripts written, collected, and used by the Franciscans at Mission Santa Clara, from the founding of the Mission in 1777 until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1851. We also have the books that remained with the Mission when custody was transferred to the Jesuits. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.
- Fr. Viader's Miscellany BookFather Viader’s Book served as a reference book for life in Mission Santa Clara; as such, the multiple manuscripts in it deal with a great variety of subjects, such as Church doctrine, liturgy and regulations, health care, food production and preparation, and Native society.
- Mission AccountsThe Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection holds two volumes from Mission San José, both are account books corresponding to the years after the secularization of the missions.
- Mission Library Book CollectionThe Mission Santa Clara Book Collection is comprised of 217 titles of Mission-period books, whose dates of publication range from 1548-1835. The Collection was the library for Mission Santa Clara, founded in 1777 by the Franciscan Fathers.
- Mission Santa Clara ManuscriptsThe Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection consists of hundreds of manuscripts primarily written and collected by the Franciscan missionaries from the founding of the Mission in 1777 until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1851.
- Mission Santa Clara Music ManuscriptsThe main manuscript in this collection is this large Choirbook for which Father Narciso Durán, from Mission San José, was the scribe. According to Craig Russell the Mission Santa Clara Choirbook, along with two other written by Father Durán, “constitute the richest and most invaluable anthologies of music from the mission period.”
- Mission Santa Clara Sacramental RecordsAs all Roman Catholic clergy are obliged to do, the priests who staffed Mission Santa Clara kept meticulous records about the sacraments at which they officiated. Over the past few decades, mission sacramental records have proven to be of inestimable value in helping scholars reconstruct the rhythms of life in pre-1850 California.
Archives & Special Collections holds the records, photographs, and publications of Santa Clara University, with some records dating back to the founding of Santa Clara College in 1851. Archives & Special Collections also holds several books on the history of the University as well as unpublished manuscripts of additional works. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.
- Arthur Spearman, S.J. papersThe Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers, 1824-1977 (1955-1975), documents the life and work of priest, author, and former University Archivist Father Arthur D. Spearman, S.J.
- Charles Barry Photo CollectionCharles (Chuck) Barry was Santa Clara University’s photographer from 1988 to 2015. During those years he took many thousands of photographs of SCU events, people, and places.
- ClaraVisionClaraVision contains images that reflect the rich visual history of our institution, and the people, places, and events associated with it.
- Course Catalogs and BulletinsThese volumes document the academic course offerings of Santa Clara, from its start in the 19th century as a young men’s college to its current university status.
- Early SCU HistoriesThis collection, taken from books and pamphlets in Archives & Special Collections, features histories of Santa Clara College and University, and the Santa Clara de Asis Mission, from its founding days until the bicentennial mission celebration of 1977.
- From College to University - SCU's first 150 yearsThe images here show the transformation of the school, its context within what would come to be called Silicon Valley, and its interconnection with national and world events and trends through the late 19th and 20th centuries.
- Little Big GameThis collection contains football programs from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, showing the development of the sport, and the rivalry with St. Mary's, during these decades.
- The Multicultural Center and Cultural Student Organizations at SCUThe Multicultural Center and Cultural Student Organizations at SCU is a collection that collates documents relating to the Multicultural Center and cultural student organizations such as Igwebuike, MEChA-El Frente, and the UNITY movements, among others.
- Nobili PapersThe Nobili Papers contain documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Included are financial records, legal papers, and correspondence with Church and State officials, parents, and merchants.
- The Santa Clara - Student NewspaperThis collection includes The Santa Clara student newspaper issues from 1922 through 2013, and have been digitized from the microfilm reels of the newspapers stored in SCU's Archives & Special Collections Department.
- Scientific InstrumentsThe Scientific Instruments collection contains historical scientific instruments used in previous educational and research endeavors by SCU. These instruments are a testament to the University's emphasis on educating the critical thinking individual alongside the spiritual individual.
- SCU AnnalsThe Annals of Santa Clara: College and University, 1851-1951, is a typewritten manuscript by Reverend Henry L. Walsh, S.J. It covers the administrative and social history of Santa Clara College and University from its start in 1851 until 1951.
- SCU Commencement ProgramsThe SCU Commencement Programs collection provides access to commencement programs from the years 1934 to 2013. These include programs from the university as a whole and, starting in 1975, divided by Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law.
- SCU Historical BuildingsThis collection includes black & white and color photographs of Santa Clara University buildings, both past and present. Most buildings have photos of both interiors and exteriors.
- SCU in the 70sA nationally recognized figure in his trade, Eymann was the University’s first contracted photographer. This collection focuses on technology and fashion in Eymann’s works, as these are concrete means by which change can be measured and assessed.
- SCU MapsSanta Clara University Archives & Special Collections houses a number of maps, plats, and drawings of the local area, some of them dating to pre-US California. We have digitized a sampling of these, concentrating on items that are fragile and/or oversized, to allow researchers access to them without risking damage to the originals.
- SCU Oral HistoriesThis collection contains the transcripts from a series of tape-recorded interviews, conducted by Norman F. Martin, SJ '38 between 1999 and 2000, with various alumni and members of the Santa Clara University community.
- Turrill-Miller Photograph CollectionThe Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection consists of over 300 photographs documenting the historic buildings and campus life of Santa Clara College (now known as Santa Clara University), from 1905-1920.
- Women's Recreational Association ScrapbooksThe Women's Recreational Association (WRA) scrapbooks were compiled by Marygrace Colby. Colby was hired by Santa Clara University in 1963, two years after women students were admitted to SCU. Her charge was to "direct and instruct women students in various recreational and athletic pursuits."
These collections include papers from faculty and others with a relationship to Santa Clara University, notable families from the Santa Clara Valley, and other collections acquired to support the research interests of faculty and students. Publications and personal papers from select faculty and staff members are also collected for preservation purposes. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.
- Arthur Spearman, S.J. PapersThe Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers, 1824-1977 (1955-1975), documents the life and work of priest, author, and former University Archivist Father Arthur D. Spearman, S.J.
- Clay Greene CollectionThe Clay M. Greene Collection, 1867-1934 (bulk 1880-1925) documents Greene’s life from his early years as a newspaperman to his later success as an American playwright.
- Conrad S. BabcockThese images of celebration at the end of World War I are taken from a scrapbook in the Conrad S. Babcock Papers. The photographs feature such people as General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, General Ferdinand Foch, the Kings of England and Spain, Queens Mary and Alexandra, and the Prince of Wales, amid sites in Paris, New York, and Washington, DC.
- Encarnación Pinedo CollectionIn the early to mid-1800s, the Pinedo family was prominent in the Santa Clara Valley and its history is intertwined with that of Mission Santa Clara and the city itself. The items in this digital collection have been selected from the Pinedo Family Collection.
- Ernest Watson CollectionErnest Paul Watson, SJ was born on April 4, 1889 in Quincy, California. Watson went to Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University) as an undergraduate and was a student during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
- Father Markey HomiliesFather Francis Markey was known for his homilies, the commentaries given by a priest after the scripture readings during the Mass. His friends called him a maverick, a teacher, a visionary and, above all, a man of tremendous faith.
- Francisco Jiménez PapersThe Francisco Jiménez Papers, 1962-2010, document Jiménez’s achievements as a writer and university professor.
- Fray Magín Catalá CollectionThe Magín Catalá, O.F.M. Collection documents the life of Fray Magín Catalá. Often referred to as the “Holy Man of Santa Clara,” Fr. Catalá was stationed at Mission Santa Clara for 36 years and was widely renowned for his piety and spiritual labors.
- George M.A. Schoener CollectionFather George M. A. Schoener, the "Padre of the Roses", was born in 1864. The Schoener Collection contains photographs, correspondence, poems both in German and English, and articles on rose breeding and horticulture.
- Hubbard S.J., Bernard R. - KetchikanVarious photographs from Fr. Hubbard's visits to Ketchikan, Alaska and various other locations in Alaska.
- Hubbard S.J., Bernard R. - King IslandIn 1937 and 1938 Fr. Hubbard lived on King Island, with his boats, dogs, expedition members, and more than 100 tons of supplies and equipment. During this expedition, he continued his glacier research and captured the King Island people on film.
- John J. Montgomery CollectionThis collection of Montgomery material documents various stages of Montgomery’s work, from his earlier trials around California to his commercial flight shows, and to the experimental trials preceding his untimely passing.
- José Antonio Villarreal PapersThe José Antonio Villarreal Papers document the personal and professional life of José Antonio Villarreal. Villarreal became well known for his book Pocho, which was first published in 1959 and is considered a landmark in Chicano literature.
- Nobili PapersThe Nobili Papers contain documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Included are financial records, legal papers, and correspondence with Church and State officials, parents, and merchants.
- Norman Martin, S.J. CollectionThe Norman Martin, SJ Digital Collection consists of a wide variety of materials including class notes, handouts, photographs, letters, and manuscripts from the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios convent in Sucre, Bolivia.
- Pellerano Family CollectionThe Pellerano Family Papers document the lives of the Pellerano, Boitano, and Wempe families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The records include the personal papers of Nicholas, Clorinda, and Pedrina Pellerano along with memorabilia from several other family members.
- Reid Family PapersThe Reid Family Papers document the lives of several members of the Reid family. This collection includes material related to Bernard J. Reid’s 1849 overland journey to California from Missouri, including his personal diary from the trip.
- William M. Tipton CollectionIn order to read old governmental documents from New Mexico from its time under the governance of Spain and Mexico, Tipton learned Spanish and began to develop skilled understanding of land grants and how to handle Spanish language documents specifically. Throughout his life, Tipton complied lists of Spanish terms with the hope of adding them to a Spanish-English dictionary. These lists make up the majority of his personal papers.
Materials related to California history, settlement, and culture are actively collected.Several manuscript collections address California history, particularly that of the Santa Clara region. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.
- 1906 Earthquake and Silicon ValleyThis is a collection of photographs, College records, newspaper clippings, and personal accounts that tell the story of how the Santa Clara College community fared through, and reacted to, the disastrous event.
- Anthropology Research ManuscriptsThis occasional paper series, published at SCU between 1994 and 2006, focused on cultural, ecological, and historical matters in the south San Francisco Bay Area.
- Catholic Women's Network PublicationsThe Catholic Women’s Network (CWN) was a non-profit educational organization for women’s spirituality and personal growth located in the Bay Area.
- Early California EphemeraThis digital collection is made up of ephemera: materials made for a single purpose and not meant to last a long time. These can include newspapers to calling cards to diaries. The items here come primarily from the 19th century San Francisco Bay Area.
- Encarnación Pinedo CollectionIn the early to mid-1800s, the Pinedo family was prominent in the Santa Clara Valley and its history is intertwined with that of Mission Santa Clara and the city itself. The items in this digital collection have been selected from the Pinedo Family Collection.
- John J. Montgomery CollectionThis collection of Montgomery material documents various stages of Montgomery’s work, from his earlier trials around California to his commercial flight shows, and to the experimental trials preceding his untimely passing.
- New Deal Art - California"New Deal Art: California" was a six-month exhibition presented in 1976, sponsored by the de Saisset Art Gallery and Museum of the University of Santa Clara. This online collection consists of digitized film transparencies used to support the 1976 exhibit.
- Pellerano Family CollectionThe Pellerano Family Papers document the lives of the Pellerano, Boitano, and Wempe families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The records include the personal papers of Nicholas, Clorinda, and Pedrina Pellerano along with memorabilia from several other family members.
The majority of the books held in Archives & Special Collections are rare, with printed works dating back to 1481. Also collected are modern rare books, both limited edition fine press books and unique artists' books. In the following collections, we’ve digitized all or part of our rare books to facilitate online research.
- Books from SCU's Digital CollectionsIn this collection, users can view scans of entire rare books from SCU's Special Collections.
- Maria MonkThis collection features versions of the scandalous text 'Awful disclosures of Maria Monk : as exhibited in a narrative of her sufferings during a residence of five years as a novice, and two years as a black nun, in the Hotel Dieu Nunnery at Montreal.'
- Paper, Wood, and CopperThis collection features illustrated books from the original Mission Library and from the early Santa Clara College collection, with books dating from 1518 to 1803.
- Voyages and CastawaysThis group of books focuses on 18th and 19th Century travel narratives, fiction and non-fiction, with themes of ocean voyages, strange new lands, shipwrecks, and pirates - subjects that excited the imaginations of readers of the day.