University Archives

The CWRU Archives collects, preserves, and makes available for use the permanently valuable records of the Case Western Reserve University and its predecessor institutions, Case Institute of Technology (1880-1967) and Western Reserve University (1826-1967).

Anyone can use the CWRU Archives. Some material may be restricted in accordance with the Access Policy.

Contacting the Archives

  • Service Hours: Monday-Friday, 1-4:30 p.m. (except University holidays)
  • Email: archives@case.edu
  • Telephone: 216-368-3320
  • U.S. Mail: Case Western Reserve University Archives, 20 BioEnterprise Building, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44106-7229
  • In Person: 20 BioEnterprise Building, 11000 Cedar Avenue. You must make an appointment at least 1 business day in advance of your visit.

Staff

Benjamin Bowers, Archivist
Helen Conger, University Archivist
Julia Teran, Archivist

Location

The CWRU Archives is located in the BioEnterprise Building at the southwest corner of Cedar Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Collection services are not located in Kelvin Smith Library.

The BioEnterprise Building is across Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive from the RTA's Red Line Cedar/University Circle rapid stop and bus station.

There is a visitor parking lot in front of the BioEnterprise Building. The charge is $1.00 per hour. You must use the LAZ app. There is a sign providing parking payment information at the parking lot. There may be a small fee for using the app.

 

 

Those of us who work with the university’s archives every day know what a rich source of information they are. We also know that many people who need information about the people, programs, places, and activities that make up Case Western Reserve University do not have the time to conduct their own research in the Archives. We have researched some topics of recurring interest. See the About the University page.

We focus on factual information, not interpretation. We try to cover a topic broadly and completely, but we know there are gaps and discrepancies. We do not claim a monopoly on The Truth.

The only sources we use are university records and publications in the CWRU Archives. Our goal is to make that information more accessible, not to write definitive histories. We select the most relevant and reliable sources, try to reconcile discrepancies, and cite the sources, so you can judge whether to rely on the information they contain.

The University depends on information to develop programs and services, make critical strategic decisions, protect property rights, manage projects, serve students, and generate revenue. That information is contained in University records. Records can only be fully utilized as an asset if they are properly managed to enhance access to information and to reduce costs and risks. The University Archives helps busy staff manage University records by providing guidance on organizing, storing and disposing of records. If you have particular recordkeeping issues you would like us to address, let us know.

See our About Records webpage.

Since November 2015 the CWRU Archives, in partnership with Archive-It, has been capturing Case Western Reserve University’s public website.

We attempt to capture websites created by Case Western Reserve University’s:

  • schools and divisions
  • academic and administrative departments
  • centers and institutes
  • representative and governing bodies
  • recognized student groups
  • alumni associations and affinity groups

See our portal page for more information about this resource and how to use it.

We are digitizing our most heavily used series and making those digital copies available in Digital Case. Our current Digital Case collections are:

Photographs, maps, posters

The collection is a pictorial record of the people, places, and events of Case Western Reserve University, Case Institute of Technology, and Western Reserve University. Most images were scanned by the CWRU Archives from original archival photographs, drawings, and documents. The digital collection, while growing, represents a tiny fraction of the image collection.


Student Yearbooks

Yearbooks represent a student perspective on the events and personalities of the academic year. Yearbooks include information about and images of individual students, student clubs and organizations, athletics, performance, the campus, faculty, administrators, and major events. All of CWRU’s nineteen current and historic schools and colleges are represented.  Digitizing the yearbooks is a current project, so new volumes are periodically added to the collection.

Commencement

The collection contains images, invitations, convocation and concert programs of Western Reserve, Case Institute of Technology, and Case Western Reserve University commencement events from 1836 to 2016. In this collection, you can find faculty and student award and prize winners, honorary degree recipients, titles of theses and dissertations, and more.

COVID-19: Tell Your Story

This collection consists of images, social media posts, textual documents, videos, and other items documenting the personal experiences of Case Western Reserve University alumni, faculty, staff, students, and other campus members during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Contact the University Archives if you would like to make a submission.