GVSU Digital Collections include highlights from the Special Collections & University Archives holdings, as well as resources created by or held by other entities within the University.
Civil War & Slavery Collection
Diaries of a surgeon, an artillery officer, and a fruit farmer; correspondence between government officials and a Whig political appointee; slavery documents, and other Civil War era personal and political correspondence.
GVSU Photographs
People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan.
GVSU Publications
Publications created by and for the students, faculty, and administration of Grand Valley State College (1960–1987) and Grand Valley State University (1987–present).
Veterans History Project
Interviews with veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, conflicts in the Middle East, and other veterans and civilians collected by the GVSU History Department begun in conjunction with the Library of Congress.
Incunabula (15th Century Printing)
Books, single sheets, or images printed in Europe the first fifty years following the invention of printing from moveable type (ca. 1450–1500).
Fore-Edge Paintings
Miniature watercolors executed on the fanned edges of a book that disappear when the book is closed. This genre of painting dates from the 1500s and flourished in the 1800s.
D.J. Angus Photographs
An extensive photographic record of Angus’ work and travels throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Images reflect the photographer’s interest in engineering projects, ancient civilizations, natural phenomena, and family and friends.
D.J. Angus Moving Pictures
Clips from movie films of D.J. Angus’ travels to Florida, Niagara Falls, Michigan, Indiana, the Smoky Mountains, throughout the North and Southwest, and Mexico from 1931–1935.
Mathias J. Alten
Photographs and personal papers from one of Michigan’s most significant painters, Mathias J. Alten (1871–1938), are combined with images of Alten paintings owned by the University.
Decorated Publishers Bindings
Commercial book covers designed and issued by publishers from the early 1870s to roughly 1930.
Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives
Interviews with Michigan philanthropists and highlights of collections from the Johnson Center Archives of philanthropy and philanthropists in the State of Michigan.
US Navy Recognition Training Slides
Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy.
The Pine Tree in Michigan
The Pine Tree in Michigan depicts the drama of Michigan’s pine woods in twenty-six block prints carved by the artist, Joseph Sparks, from his original sketches.
Grand Rapids Oral Histories
Taped and transcribed interviews conducted in the early 1970s primarily of the children and grandchildren of many of the founders of Grand Rapids residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Finding Aids
Guides created to describe the contents of collections in the Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives. Special Collections materials focus primarily on Michigan regional history and culture.
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball players for military service.
Insel-Bücherei series
The German publishing company Insel Verlag was founded in 1899 by Anton Kippenberg in Leipzig. In its early years the firm printed expensive, beautifully-produced volumes until demand lef to publication of the more modest Insel-Bücherei series in 1912.
The Honors Institute for Young Scientists
The Honors Institute for Young Scientists (HIFYS) was established to encourage an interest in science in high school students in the late 1950s. It provided a competitive scholarship to an advanced summer educational program in science and math in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
U.S.S. Michigan
The name U.S.S. Michigan has been shared by 3 vessels in the United States Navy. This collection focuses on the U.S.S. Michigan (Battleship BB-27), but includes articles, images, and memorabilia of all three vessels.
Patriotic Envelopes
The “patriotic envelope” was a war-time propaganda phenomenon produced by both the North and the South during the Civil War. Patriotic envelopes depict battles, flags, eagles, political satire, and caricatures political figures.