WVU Archives & Records

The West Virginia and Regional History Center is the home of WVU's University Archives. The primary purpose of the University Archives is to collect, preserve, and provide access to the historical documents and collective memory of WVU, and to retain many of the University's permanent records.  The University’s permanent records include administrative files, publications, photographs, audiovisual material, faculty papers, and memorabilia that document all aspects of campus life and the operations of WVU, dating from the founding of the University in 1867 through the present day. The University Archives also collects materials from the two WVU Divisional Campuses, Potomac State College of WVU and WVU Institute of Technology. These collections are valuable resources for understanding our own history and documenting the activities of the University and its community.

To search the finding aids of University Archives collections, please see our  Guide to Archives & Manuscripts.

To see what types of material the University Archives collects, please consult our Collection Policy.

If you have questions about what to send to the University Archive or how to send it, check out the  University Archives FAQs.

For more information on what to save for the archive, what to get rid of, and when to do it, review the University's records retention documents:

WVU Record Retention Policy & Schedule

University Retention Schedule (lists documents and when they should be transferred or disposed of)

WVU General Record Retention FAQs

If you are ready to transfer University records to the University Archives, please fill out the Records Transfer Form and  contact us.

Please note that another resource for University materials is the  Research Repository @ WVU, which contains scholarly and creative works by faculty, staff, and students and includes journal articles, working papers, technical documents, images, datasets, theses and dissertations, problem reports, honors projects, capstone projects, and open access textbooks.