Archives & Special Collections Launches New Collection Management System

The Archives and Special Collections has launched a new collections management system, providing users with increased access to the library’s rare and unique holdings. The system brings together descriptions of physical records, digitized materials, and born digital content held by the Archives and Special Collections. Previously, this content was only accessible through separate databases, requiring users to conduct searches in multiple places. Now, a single search will provide access to photographs, publications, oral history recordings, and file-level descriptions of other records available to view in the Archives.

The system is divided into three main collection areas:

1. The University Archives– Materials related to the history and operations of Pacific Lutheran University including photographs, yearbooks, The Mooring Mast student newspaper, faculty and presidential papers, and more.
2. The Region 1 Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America– Materials related to Lutheran synods and congregations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington including congregation files, synodical records, and Lutheran publications.
3. The Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection– Materials related to the experience of immigrants in the Puget Sound region from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden including oral histories, local Scandinavian publications, and records from Scandinavian cultural organizations.

Users can limit their search to a particular collection area or search across all holdings and can also browse by subject, place, or digital objects.

The system is a work in progress and archivists Anna Trammell and Josh Smith are continuously adding new content. For questions or additional information, contact archives@plu.edu.