University Libraries
The Washington University Libraries are a network of academic resources featuring nine libraries, vast print and electronic collections, and expert librarians whose priority is helping students and faculty find the information they need.
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Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library and Special Collections
Located in the lower level of the Kemper Art Museum, the Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library is one of the finest of its kind in the region, with valuable print holdings and access to all the major art and architecture databases.
Art & Architecture Special Collections is a 4,200-volume collection of rare printed materials and works on paper from artistic and design contexts. The main areas of focus are illustrated books, prints and photographs from the 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary book design.
The John M. Olin Library is the central library of the Washington University Libraries system, housing general-interest materials and collections in the humanities, sciences, and engineering.
Julian Edison Department of Special Collections
The Julian Edison Department of Special Collections focuses on six primary areas: the Dowd Illustration Research Archive, Film & Media Archive, Local History, Manuscripts, Rare Books, and University Archives.
Dowd Illustration Research Archive
The Dowd Illustration Research Archive comprises original art and printed material from many fields of popular American pictorial graphic culture. Focusing on 20th-century illustration, the collection includes artists’ working materials and sketches, as well as original artwork from books, magazines, and advertising.
Washington University Archives chronicles the history of Washington University in St. Louis from 1853 to today, with more than 300 unique collections, including campus publications, reports, photographic prints and negatives, books, film, sound recordings, oral histories, architectural plans, and artifacts. These collections include papers and artifacts relating to student, faculty, and administrative life.
University Archives holds two small collections of materials relating to the history of the Museum. For researchers seeking records on the Gallery of Art (now the Kemper Art Museum), a finding aid is available for the years 1960–2004. Those seeking older records, including the records of the School of Fine Arts and the Saint Louis Museum of Fine Arts, can access information using a separate guide.