Using UW Special Collections: Citing Special Collections Material

Introduction

If you are using archival sources in your research (papers, presentations, or other published materials), citations are required. There are different ways to cite archival sources depending on the format required by your discipline. Archival citations can be tricky for finding the right elements, and different institutions can require different structures for citations of their material, so check with them as well. It will make your life much easier if you keep track of this while researching, as it can be difficult to go back and find the folder or exact title.

Tip: Keep track of this information while you are researching so you don't have to track back later for these details.

1. Title: usually the title given by the archives to a file or item (you can also find this in the finding aid); in the absence of a title provide a short description, add a relevant date at the end to distinguish it from similar materials if necessary

ASUW Budget files: Requests

Interoffice correspondence - to Puget Sound Trading Company, 1896

2. Name of collection: The title given to the collection by the archives, you don't need to include any dates that might be at the end of the title.

David and Marilyn Janigan Map Collection

W. T. Edmondson Papers

3. Accession Number: The number given to the collection by the archives

There should be two groups of numbers with a dash, either (XXXX-XXX or XX-XXX), or for photo collections (PHXXXX)

4. Box number: the number of the box in which the archival record is physically stored, Folder number: the number of the folder in which the archival record is physically stored

Box 7, Folder 3

5. Repository and location: the name of the archives or library

Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Archival Citations Examples

ITEM LEVEL: Used when you're citing one specific document

Item Description (order or negative number if applicable). Box number, Folder number. Accession or Collection Number. Collection Name. Repository.

Manuscript Collection:

Letter, Matthew W. Hill to Meany, 17 Dec. 1921. Box 37, Folder 8. Acc. 0106-001. Edmond S. Meany Papers. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Visual Materials Collection:

Studio portrait of Elizabeth Adams (AWC4138). Box 1, Folder 1. PH0919. Adams Family photograph collection. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

COLLECTION: Used when you're referring more generally to the collection at large.

Collection Name. Accession or Collection Number. Repository.

Miles C. Poindexter Papers. Acc. 3828-002. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Creator. (Date). Item Description (Box Number, Folder Number, Negative/Order number if applicable). Collection name, Accession Number, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Manuscript Collection:

Hill, Matthew W. (December 17, 1921). Letter from Matthew W. Hill to Edmond Meany (Box 37, Folder 8). Edmond S. Meany Papers, Acc. 0106-001, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Visual Materials Collection:

Davidson, I. G. (ca. 1889). Studio portrait of Elizabeth Adams (Box 1, Folder 1, AWC4138). Adams Family photograph collection, PH0919, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

FOOTNOTES

Item Description (Neg or Order Number if applicable), date, box number, folder number, Collection Number, Collection Name, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Manuscript collection:

Letter, Matthew W. Hill to Meany, 17 Dec. 1921, Box 37, Folder 8, Acc. 0106-001, Edmond S. Meany Papers, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Visual Materials Collection:

Studio portrait of Elizabeth Adams (AWC4138), Box 1, Folder 1, PH0919, Adams Family photograph collection, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION

Collection Name. Collection Number. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.

Miles C. Poindexter Papers. Acc. 3828-002. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.