Yale University Manuscripts and Archives YUL Sterling Memorial Library

Overview

Yale University Manuscripts and Archives (MSSA) is the primary archival repository of Yale University, housed in Sterling Memorial Library in New Haven, Connecticut. The department holds the historical records of Yale University, thousands of video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and witnesses, and personal papers and organizational records documenting local, national, and international history from the sixteenth century to the present. Effective July 1, 2022, MSSA was integrated into Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which now has an expanded leadership role for special collections across the Yale Library system.

History and Founding

The collections in Manuscripts and Archives first took form in the late nineteenth century, when Yale faculty began placing research materials in the library and administrators began collecting documentation on Yale's institutional history. The department's reading room occupies the former Rare Book Room in Sterling Memorial Library, which opened in 1931. Prior to the Beinecke Library's opening in 1963, rare books and manuscripts were housed in this room. The department has since focused on archival and manuscript collections, while Beinecke holds rare printed books.

Collections and Holdings

MSSA subject strengths include Yale University, Connecticut, and New Haven history; American diplomacy, public policy, and politics; medicine and health policy; architecture and city planning; environmental science and activism; legal and judicial history; and LGBTQ history and activism. Notable diplomatic collections include the papers of Dean Acheson, Henry Kissinger, Henry Stimson, and Cyrus Vance. The department also holds 4,000 video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and witnesses. Collections span materials from correspondence, diaries, and printed ephemera to organizational records and photographic archives.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

MSSA holds a range of collections related to journalism, communications, and public policy that document the media landscape in the United States and abroad. The department's strengths in political history, diplomacy, and American public life encompass materials that shed light on the relationship between government, press, and society.

Access and Usage

The reading room is located in the Wall Street wing of Sterling Memorial Library. Access requires advance registration. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Materials are available to Yale affiliates and visiting researchers. The department's finding aids are searchable online through the Yale Finding Aid Database.