How to Find Collections
Collections in Special Collections and Archives are described in a few databases and discovery tools. This section gives an overview of each tool and provides advice on when to use them. The archivists in Special Collections and Archives are also available to provide assistance.
CSU Digital Archives
Search and browse Special Collections and Archives online at the CSU Digital Archives. You could find digitized archival holdings, including photographs, architectural drawings, documents, sound recordings, videos, yearbooks, and course catalogs.
Research Guides
Starting your research in Special Collections and Archives and not sure where to begin? Special Collections and Archive creates research guides to help navigate our collections.
Online Archive of California
Search our finding aids on the Online Archive of California. A finding aid is an inventory to a collection, and not all collections have finding aids.
Library Catalog
Are you looking for a book (including artist’s books), or a journal, or a broadside? Collections like these, and more, can be found in the library catalog, OneSearch.
Campus Art Catalog
For those looking for examples from the Cal Poly university art collection, the Campus Art Catalog is an online database containing searchable data for selections of the artwork. Development of the catalog is ongoing.
Digital Commons @ Cal Poly
Two significant digital collections from Special Collections and Archives are found only on Digital Commons @ Cal Poly: the Cal Poly Student Newspapers, 1916-2011, and Academic Senate records.
Web Archives
Since 2014, Special Collections and Archives has been archiving web pages from Cal Poly sites and social media, the Mustang News website, KCPR 91.3, and other collections-related websites. Search and browse the web archives on the Archive-It platform.