About Us

Inspired by Colorado State University’s land-grant mission, we build, preserve, and provide access to distinctive archival, photographic, and printed materials, with a particular commitment to collections documenting agriculture and water resources. We support the CSU Libraries’ mission to inspire innovation, and advance the ways knowledge is shared and preserved, by serving students and scholars at CSU and from around the world.

Preserving the rich legacy of Colorado’s land-grant mission is a major focus – and responsibility – of Archives & Special Collections, which feature a broad array of important primary resources and relating to all aspects of water and agriculture in Colorado and contributions made by Coloradoans in these areas. Archives & Special Collections also serves as the official archives of Colorado State University.

Especially significant for both the scholarly and casual researcher are collections related to water resource management, water engineering, water law and legislation, and endangered species. We also make available for use by students and scholars collections from agricultural organizations, Colorado State University Extension and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station. Our University Archive holdings include the records of CSU presidents, departments, faculty, alumni, and our historic photographic collection, dating back to the 1870s.

Featured Collections

Archives & Special Collections Fast Facts

As of December 31, 2024

Collections

• Digitized/born-digital collections: more than 150 TB
• Special collections/rare books: 27,200 volumes
• Archives: 529 collections, approximately 8,500 linear ft.
  • Agriculture: 95
  • Water: 135
  • Manuscript: 60
  • University Archives: 239

Staff

• Faculty: 4
• Professional staff: 2
• Students: 5

Patrons

• 634, on and off-site
• 155 uses of archives and manuscript materials, 907 uses of special collections, and 302 uses of university publications

Instruction

• 16 classes to 248 students in 16 courses, including Book Arts; research methods in History, English, Political Science, Cultural Anthropology, and Music; Native North American Art: Photography and Image Making; Honors College Seminar; Food History; Queer Studies; Environmental Literature; and Advanced Creative Writing.

Events & Outreach

• 31 tours with 132 attendees
• Research grants for the Friedman Feminist Press and Water Collections
• Ram Stories Covid-19 Student Oral History Project captured 10 stories about the pandemic’s impact on student life, and the accounts of 17 researchers and scientists engaged with Covid-19 research
• Exhibited and tabled at the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center’s 40th anniversary celebration