The purpose of this guide is to support researchers with the archival research process at Northwestern University Archives relating to the history of Black student life, faculty, staff, and alumni at Northwestern University. 

The Northwestern University Archives houses records, publications, photographs, and other materials pertaining to every aspect of Northwestern’s history, including the papers of faculty and alumni, student organizations, and department and administrative records. The Archives' holdings are non-circulating and are open to the public for research.  

The University Archives is part of the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections & University Archives. The reading room is located in Deering Library, Level 3 at 1937 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. If you are not affiliated with Northwestern, be prepared to show identification at the welcome desk.

We're open Monday-Friday, 9 am-4:30 pm. Closed on weekends and for holidays. See the hours page for more information. 

Appointments are required for accessing collections. For more information about requesting collections and making research appointments, please see our registration and use page. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment at least 48 hours in advance of your visit. For help, please contact us at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635.

While at the Archives, you can scan materials with your own devices. You can also use the document scanner, available for free, in the reading room. It allows you to save scans to your flash drive or send them to your e-mail.

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