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Special Collections

Our Collections

History class in Special Collections

Our collections cover many topics within the field of Cleveland history, with special concentrations on the history of the industrial history of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland journalism, and the city's infrastructure. We are also home to the Library's collections of rare materials, as well as publications from the University Archives about CSU and its predecessor, Fenn College.

A-E

  • Alberta T. Turner collection (1939-1992): The personal and professional papers of Alberta T. Turner; poet, English instructor, and director of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center from 1964-1990. Collection includes journals, artwork, early and unpublished works, books, manuscripts and copies of published works, personal and official correspondences, and records and ephemera relating to academic career as both student and teacher.
  • Arthur B. Suchy collection: Maps, photograph scrapbook and one case of documents pertaining to copyright ownership of materials from map illustrator and collector Arthur B. Suchy's estate.
  • Bain Murray Music collection (1938-1992): Includes textual and musical works of and relating to composer, critic and teacher, Bain Murray dating approximately from 1939-1992.
  • Baron Aviation videotape collection (1987-1991): Short news videos from Baron Aviation, some of which show aerial scenes of Cleveland and northeast Ohio. Many videos include footage of local events which occurred from 1987 to 1991 in the greater Cleveland area.
  • Bill Roberts Editorial Cartoon Collection (1962-1977): The political and social line drawings of Bill Roberts, editorial cartoonist for the Cleveland Press. This collection contains over 1,100 editorial cartoons from the Cleveland Press from 1962-1978, covering topics in local, national, and international news.
  • Bruce Young photograph collection (1900-1970): Negatives, photographs, and slides, mostly documenting transportation history in the greater Cleveland area. Additional topics beyond the Northeast Ohio area are covered in the collection.
  • Build Up Greater Cleveland collection: Records from the Build Up Greater Cleveland (BUGC) program. The BUGC formed in 1983 to address the infrastructure crisis in the greater Cleveland, Ohio region.
  • Butler A. Jones papers (1933-1996): Letters, articles, books, binders, and awards of Dr. Butler A. Jones, former chairman of the Dept. of Sociology at Cleveland State University and a professor emeritus at Cleveland State University.
  • City Club of Cleveland Forum sound recordings, 1960-1989: The collection consists of over 800 tapes recorded from 1963 to about 1980 at the weekly forums held by one of Cleveland's most venerable institutions.
  • Clay Herrick slide collection (1960-1990): approximately 5,000 to 7,000 one-of-a-kind snapshots of various buildings in Cleveland, Ohio. Some images show the construction of these buildings. Images are of value for Urban Studies, Art History, and Cleveland History classes. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System collection (1975-2006): The administrative archives of the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System, also commonly referred to as CAMLS.
  • Cleveland Chamber Symphony collection (1978-2004): 47 boxes of materials, of which the majority are scores. Other materials include audio recordings (reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes), concert programs, office files, and award plaques.
  • Cleveland Ethnic Studies Collection (1966-1982): Newspaper clippings, photographs, correspondence, maps, office records and proceedings of various ethnic organizations, studies, census tracts, workshop information, teaching materials, manuscripts as collected by Cleveland State University professor emeritus Karl B. Bonutti as it relates to his work with Ethnic Heritage Studies at the university.
  • Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center collection (1920-1990): Scrapbooks, photograph albums, assorted documents, and a few mounted camera-ready graphics from the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.
  • Cleveland PAND (Performers and Artists for Nuclear Disarmament) Collection (1988-2009): Materials documenting the activities and operations of the Cleveland chapter of PAND, including rosters, annual reports, meeting minutes, etc. and promotional leaflets and notes regarding public performances.
  • Cleveland Press photograph collection (1920-1982): The former editorial library, or "morgue," of The Cleveland Press hundreds of thousands of clippings and photographs. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Cleveland Performance Art Festival Collection: A major collection of material pertaining to the Cleveland Performance Art Festival, which was created by Thomas Mulready in 1987 as a project of Cleveland Public Theatre, then became a separate non-profit organization, running from 1988-1999.
  • Cleveland Public Schools Horticulture Program collection (1904-1988): Curriculum materials used by instructors in the Cleveland Public Schools Horticulture Program, including clippings and photographs of the school gardens. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Cleveland Sacred Landmarks collection (1830-2003): Research and organization records from the Center of Sacred Landmarks in the form of papers, prints, negatives, books and videotapes. New records are added as research continues.
  • Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers administrative records (1979-1987): Meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, forms, newsletters and other documents of the Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) from 1979-1987.
  • Cleveland Union Terminal Collection (1896-1990): The archives of the company that built the Cleveland Union Terminal and the Terminal Tower, the largest construction project of the 1920s in the city of Cleveland. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Clytean Club archives (1891-2011): This collection, about the Clytean Club, contains minutes, officers' reports, multimedia historical documents pertaining to the club, and annual programs.
  • d. a. levy Collection (1963-1985): Correspondence, poetry, art and related ephemera of and related to Cleveland, Ohio poet d.a. levy. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Ed Hauser Research Collection (1998-2008): Contains the work of environmental activist Ed Hauser, whose causes included the Cleveland Innerbelt Plan, saving the Huletts, Whiskey Island and any issue that he believed would make Cleveland a better place in which to live.
  • The Ed Miggins Community and Ethnic Studies Research Collection (1960-2009): Scrapbooks, journal articles, clippings, manuscripts, various media, notes and drafts belonging to Edmund W. Miggins, Ph.D., educator, author and columnist. Topics covered include urban issues, urban history, with a focus on immigrant history and neighborhoods, labor unions, and the public school system.

F-J

  • Gerald E. Brookins Collection: Images of streetcars, interurbans, railroads and everyday Cleveland area photographs.
  • Greater Cleveland Ethnographic Museum Collection: Digital records of several of the museums projects created from the personal collection of Annette B. Fromm, the personal collection of Carole Kantor, the Cleveland Press Collection housed by Cleveland State University Special Collections, and other holdings housed by Cleveland State University. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Herbert Elwell Archive: Scores, discs, reel-to-reel tapes, manuscripts, articles, program annotations for the Cleveland Orchestra, and assorted letters and memorabilia belonging to Herbert Elwell (May 10, 1898 - April 17, 1974), a composer, critic, teacher, and important figure in Cleveland's music scene, and donated by Joan Hofer, Elwell's niece.
  • Humphrey Glass Negative Collection: A set of 700 glass negatives documenting the life and interests of Euclid Beach Park owner Dudley S. Humphrey II and his family during the early part of the 20th century. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • James A. Miller collection (1981-1993): The collected published and unpublished works of Cleveland poet James A. Miller.
  • James J. Nance Papers: Personal and professional papers of James J. Nance, local businessman and former chairman of the CSU Board of Trustees.
  • Janet Beighle French Collection: Ten scrapbooks of newspaper clippings written by Janet Beighle French, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Home Economics/Food Editor from 1963 through 1986. Also included are articles about food, nutrition, and recipes, as well as two containers of 8x10 color negatives of featured food arrangements.
  • Jocelyn Chang and Michael Leese Music Collection (1990-2005): An exceptionally rich musical collection representing the lifetime musical accomplishments of harpist, musical innovator, and teacher Jocelyn Chang and her husband, Michael Leese, a flutist, composer, music copyist and recording producer.
  • John D. Cimperman collection of Cleveland Landmarks Commission records (1973-1991): Personal papers from former Cleveland City Councilman, John D. Cimperman, related to his work in creating and helping to manage the Cleveland Landmarks Commission.

K-M

N-R

S-Z

  • The Steamer William Mather Collection: Includes records from Cleveland Cliffs Archives, ship records, personal corporate files, personal papers, photographs and slides.
  • The Thomas F. Campbell Papers (1965-1985): The personal and professional papers of Thomas F. Cambell, professor and the co-founder of Cleveland State University's Institute of Urban Studies, now the Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs.
  • Title IX Document Collection (1971-1994): Documents such as newsletters, books, teaching materials, and manuals focusing on the general theme of Title IX passage and implementation within school districts, administration, and curricula, as well as in employment in the public and private sectors.
  • T.W. Grogan Collection (1930-1950): Archival photographs of various buildings in and around the Greater Cleveland area from the late 1930s to the early 1950s managed by the T.W. Grogan Company. See the Collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Viktor Schreckengost Collection: Includes job folders with correspondence, sketches, blueprints, and contracts from the archives of Cleveland artist, teacher and industrial designer, Viktor Schreckengost.
  • Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad Company photograph collection (1863-1962): Over one thousand photographs in many different sizes dating from 1863 to 1962, and a registry which lists the location of many assets by division and branch. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • Wilbur & Sara Ruth Watson Bridge Book Collection: Over one hundred and seventy-five rare books, some dating from the eighteenth century, and fifteen albums of photographs on historic bridges. The collection is considered one of the best of its kind in the country. See the collection in Cleveland Memory.
  • William S. Nehez Collection (1961-1980): The personal professional collection of Cleveland Press photographer, consisting of photograph negatives (in 35mm and 4x5 medium format) used for published stories featured in the Press.
  • Willard Combes Editorial Cartoon Collection (1936-1945): Contains over 50 political and social line drawings by Willard Combes, editorial cartoonist for the Cleveland Press and additional related material, such as newspaper clippings including the cartoons in their context and correspondence.
  • William Ashbolt photography collection (1954-1965): Black-and-white photographs taken by William Ashbolt, a Plain Dealer photographer, covering such topics as the investigation and trial of the Sam Sheppard for the murder of Marilyn Sheppard from July 1954 to December 1954 and Robert Manry's Tinkerbelle sailboat voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1965.
  • Dr. William O. and Naomi E. Walker Collection - Includes more than four hundred books and rare historical material which comprise the W. O. Walker collection of Afro-American literature.
  • WomenSpace (1974-1995): The collection is comprised of mostly paper documents of various natures, photos, slides, negatives, plaques, a metal plate, a quilt, various fabric pieces, ribbons, a tee-shirt, buttons, stamps, a VHS tape, Audio Reel to Reel, Audio cassettes.
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Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
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2121 Euclid Avenue
Phone: 216.687.2449
Fax: 216.687.9328


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