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University of Virginia History

Resources for researching the institution and its individuals

Newspapers

The Cavalier Daily. The major student newspaper, formerly College Topics (see below). 1948-present. 

A handwritten index to CT and The CD (through 1994) is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. On 35k slips of paper housed in a card catalog, you'll find both broad topics and specific people, events, and organizations. 

College Topics. Now The Cavalier Daily. The University's second student newspaper. 1890-1948. 

A handwritten index to CT and The CD (through 1994) is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. On 35k slips of paper housed in a card catalog, you'll find both broad topics and specific people, events, and organizations. 

Yearbooks

Corks and Curls. The yearbook. 1888-2018. 

  • Available online in Virgo. NB: Scroll left and right to view all issues. Issues are not in chronological order, so you may need to browse to find the issue you're seeking. 
  • Available in print in Shannon's Reference Room. Copies are also available to check out, by request. 
  • A handwritten index to Corks and Curls, through 1966, is available in Special Collections. The resource indexes poetry and short story authors, department heads, clubs, sports, etc. Useful when researching niche topics, groups, or individuals. 

Professional school yearbooks are listed below. 

Course Catalogs

The UVA Record, or the Record. Also called The Catalog until 1907. Our course catalog. 1825-2008. The Record organizes classes by school, so a bound issue of the Record will contain several printed books for that year, often one per school. 

  • Available in print in Shannon's Reference Room and to check out, by request, 1850-1907, and 1907-2008
  • Available in print in Special Collections, 1825-1907 and 1907-2008
  • Available online: via HathiTrust, 1865-1923.
  • To browse professional school catalogs only, these are listed below; these are included in the Record as well. 
  • After 2008, the Record is online only

NB: Early copies of the Record include lists of faculty, students, and administrators, prior year's graduates, and Board of Visitors members. They also include advertisements, student directory information, as well as course descriptions, graduation requirements, fees, and university policies. Later copies dropped the student directories but still contain a wealth of information. Beginning with Summer 2005 session, the catalog went online-only. View these via the University Registrar

University News

UVA Today. Published by the University News, a unit of University Communications. 2008-present. 

  • Available online via their website. 

Inside UVA. Published by the University's Office of Publications, a predecessor to UVA Today. 1979-2007. 

University Register. Published by the University's Office of Publications, a predecessor to Inside UVA. 1971-79. 

A handwritten index to the University Register and Inside UVA dating through the mid 1980s is available in Special Collections. This resource indexes topics, individuals, buildings, schools, programs, departments, events, and more. 

Directories

See also the Record, above, for pre-1900 student directories. 

University Telephone Directory. 1900-2014.

Faces: a student and sometimes staff directory. For incoming students. 

Theses and Dissertations

Search UVA Theses and Dissertations in Virgo, our catalog. Use the advanced search to search within that collection. 

Other Student Publications

Alumni Publications

Virginia: The University of Virginia Magazine. The alumni magazine, published by the Alumni Association. 1993-present. 

Alumni News. The former alumni magazine, published by the Alumni Association. 1913-1993. 

A handwritten index to the Alumni News and the Alumni Bulletin is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. 

Alumni Bulletin. The first alumni magazine. 1894-1924. 

  • Available in print by request and in Special Collections. First 14 volumes in the Shannon Reference Room. The Alumni Bulletin is focused on news of the university and faculty and do not contain class notes. 

A handwritten index to the Alumni News and the Alumni Bulletin is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. 

Alumni directories

For the first century of the University, alumni directories were published every few decades. These directories were called lists, catalogs, or were titled generically such as 'Alumni of UVA'. For the first 75 or so years of the University, students were not always consistently recorded for a wide variety of reasons. For example, a professor's daughter may have attended courses at UVA but never have been 'registered' as a student. Because of this, there can be inconsistencies between the University Registrar, the yearbook, and other resources such as these directories. Check the item to see if it's available in print in Shannon's Reference Room, by request, or at Special Collections. 

1878 (also online)1910'lost' alumni, 1912'overseas' alumni, 19181921 (also online)women grads, 1921-1925living alumni, 19311981.

See professional school alumni magazines below. 

Medical Schools and Hospital/Health System

All materials are in print at the Health Sciences Library unless otherwise noted. Contact the Health Sciences Historic Collections with questions at (434) 924-0052 or hsl-historical@virginia.edu. Visitors should call ahead before visiting in person. 

Law School

All materials are in print at the Law Library unless otherwise noted. Contact the Law Library Special Collections with questions at (434) 924-3384 or archives@law.virginia.eduProfessional school library access is generally limited to students, staff, and faculty of that school; visitors should call ahead before visiting in person. 

Darden School of Business

All materials are available in print at Darden's Camp Library. Contact them at 434-924-7321 or library@darden.virginia.edu with questions. Professional school library access is generally limited to students, staff, and faculty of that school; visitors should call ahead before visiting in person. 

Other UVA Publications

There are many other UVA, especially student, publications for which we hold just a handful of issues. Find a full list of UVA Periodicals held by the library in Virgo. Many academic departments send out newsletters, see each department's website or staff for details. Some academic departments have historic materials in the University Archives, but not all; check Virgo and the UA Record Groups. 

Final Exercises Programs

Final exercises (graduation) programs are available in print in Special Collections: 1888-1986, 1894-19411984-present. Some years missing. Contain lists of graduates for all schools of the University and information on awards, honorary societies, and departmental degree ceremonies. 

The University of Virginia Newsletter

Published by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service from 1918 through 2008, this newsletter is available in print by request, 1925-63, and on microfilm from 1925-65, in print 1997-2008; also in Special Collections from 1918-1997 and 1997-2008. These newsletters are an awesome resource on a wide variety of topics, including articles on Virginia history, University history, contemporary issues, public policy, and more. A handwritten index to this publication is available in Special Collections covering 1932-1978. 

The UVA Press

The University of Virginia Press was founded in 1963 - all titles are approved by the Board of Visitors. The Press focuses primarily on the humanities and social sciences with special concentrations in American history, African American studies, southern studies, literature, ecocriticism, architecture, and regional books. 

The Virginia Quarterly Review

The VQR was founded in 1925 and is still a part of the University, though fairly independent. A quarterly publication publishing literature, poetry, journalism, photography, and graphic arts. Available online and in print in Shannon's Reference Room and by request

Studies in Bibliography

Published by the Bibliographic Society, this annual journal focuses on print materials, textual criticism, maps, manuscripts, etc. The group also provides scholarships, supports exhibits, and runs a Book Collecting Contest. SiB is available online and in print; view their other publications