Special Collections & Archives Research Guide

• Collections are named after the main subject of the collection and/or the person or organization that donated the
• You can search for keywords within a single collection, or across multiple collections. For example, a key word search for "Civil Rights" will bring up over 15 collections related to the Civil Rights Movement.

• Information about a collection's "box lists' and "folder numbers." This is because archives are stored safely and securely in folders and archival boxes. When you find an item you are interested in, make note of the box and folder numbers. 

ODU Digital Collections:

• We have digitized and made several of our collections freely available online. Our digital collections focus primarily on military history, women's history, Massive Resistance and School Desegregation in Virginia, Civil Rights, oral histories, local news film, LGBTQ+ history, and ODU history. Digitizing archival materials is very expensive and time consuming so we are grateful for the support of our generous donors, including ODU Alumna Margo Horner ('75)

• Website archives of the Virginia Opera, dating from 2021 to the present, are available via the Internet Archive thanks to support from the Eleanor J. Bader Fund. 

• A list of websites that document university history and scholarly activities, including digital collections, exhibitions, web archives, and more!

• A constantly updated digital repository of faculty and student publications, including yearbooks, thesis and dissertations.