Locations - Past and Present

Main Library, 1959-1967

A portion of the 12th floor of the Main Library was used to store the University Archives, starting in 1959.  In 1960, University Historian James E. Pollard began sorting and organizing material that had been stored in the basement of the Administration Building (Bricker Hall), University Hall, Derby and Brown Halls. Once the material was sorted, cleaned and repaired, it was separated into categories, re-filed, indexed and taken to the Main Library.

Hitchcock Hall, 1967-1980

The Archives was located on the third floor of Hitchcock Hall.  By 1973, the University Archives held 1,500 cubic feet of records, 230 feet of bound volumes, 700 reels of microfilm, 1,200 tapes, 8,000 disc recordings and 130 maps and blueprints. The Archives also cared for 66,000 images, which were held in the Photo Archives in Brown Hall.

Brown Hall, 1931-1980

Brown Hall was the home of The Ohio State University Photo Archives.  The Photo Archives was started in 1931 when Joseph N. Bradford, the first OSU photography professor, established a photo history division within the Department of Photography.  This division merged with the Archives in 1972.  By 1979, the Photo Archives held nearly 250,000 photographic images.

St. John Arena, 1976-1980

The University Records Center, in the basement of St. John arena, was used as a temporary storage space for University records that were not used often.  

Converse Hall, 1980-1995

In 1980, the University Archives was consolidated and moved into Converse Hall.  The Archives had been stored in three separate locations: the University Archives in Hitchcock Hall, the Photo Archives in Brown Hall and the Archives storage location in St. John Arena.  Once moved, the newly combined archives occupied about 10,000 square feet. Converse Hall was chosen because it was air-conditioned, fire-resistant, and the floors had enough strength to support the weight of the Archives.

Library Book Depository, 1995-present

The University Archives moved into the newly built Library Book Depository in 1995. The new building had been designed ideally for preservation, with a climate control system that regulates temperatures while keeping humidity low. The University Archives currently holds 15,000 cubic feet and the Photo Archives holds nearly 2 million photos.  The Archives is also home to the Senator John Glenn Archives and the Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program.