Phillips Library Finding Aids

This site provides access to finding aids for our manuscript collections, which contain a wide variety of materials including letters, account books, diaries, photographs, drawings, legal documents, and some printed material. Finding aids for previously unprocessed collections are added here on a regular basis.

A finding aid is a descriptive inventory for an archival collection. Typically, it includes information about the origin, history, content, date and format of the records, as well as the physical and intellectual arrangement imposed upon them by the archivist.

Using This Site

Our finding aids may be searched by keyword or browsed by collection title, subject, or name. If you would like to view materials from a collection, click the "Request" button on the top right corner of the page for the folders you would like to view. You will be prompted to register for a Philcat account, or sign in to your existing one, in order to complete your request and schedule an appointment to view materials in our reading room.

Harmful Language Statement

The Phillips Library is correcting the use of harmful, racist, and derogatory language in our catalog and finding aids. Through ongoing dialogue with communities, scholars, and others, we are actively working to respectfully describe, center, and amplify diverse voices and experiences within our collection. This includes revising policies, implementing new practices, and updating subject headings.We invite you to view our subject headings work here and encourage you to contact us via our feedback form if you encounter harmful or inaccurate language while exploring our collections.

More Information

To search the entire Phillips Library collection, use Philcat, our library catalog.

To explore digitized items, see our Online Collections page.

For more information regarding the Phillips Library, including hours and contact information, please visit our webpage.