Welcome to this course guide for Prof. Betsy Bowen's ENGL 1001.
The purpose of this page is to give you a short list of available primary resources for your assignment focused on Fairfield University history. This list is meant to get you started; feel free to utilize other tools and databases available via this research guide as you explore your topics.
As a reminder, below is a link to the essay you read by authors Gaillet and Rose on Place-Based Research and Writing using archival sources.
Yearbooks contain text and photographs celebrating the graduating seniors and events of the year. They often contain: photographs, pictures of the senior class, summaries of campus activities, clubs, sports and salient world events. They may also include photos of administrators, faculty, and staff. Ads are at the back for patrons and local businesses.
Digital versions of the Fairfield University yearbook the Manor are available from 1951 - 2011. They are available here:
Yearbooks are also available in print on the main floor of the library in the reference section. These are for in-library use only. The print collection provides access to yearbooks from 2011-2020.
The Mirror is Fairfield University's official student newspaper. For current issues, please visit their website at: The Mirror.
For issues from 1977 through 2014, please see: The Fairfield Mirror - part of our Student Newspaper Collection on DigitalCommons@Fairfield.
Course catalogs or bulletins are a great source of information about ongoing curriculum changes at the University. They describe the courses offered and often contain lists of faculty and administrative departments and personnel. In addition, they offer information regarding mission, degrees awarded, tuition fees, core requirements, and brief histories of departments and schools within the University.
Course Catalogs are available here:
Student newspapers from 1947 through the early 1970s can be found using the following link:
Student Newspapers 1940s-1970 (Tentative, Fulcum, Stag, University Voice)
Newspapers will contain articles about current events on campus and in the world, editorial pieces including letters to the editor, reviews of plays and music, photographs, ads for local goods and services, as well as publicity for upcoming events on and off campus. They are a great source of primary research about campus life.
This collection offers about two hundred photograph of early campus buildings, people, and some campus events. Information about each photo is included below in the metadata. Please feel free to visit the collection now located in Fairfield's institutional repository DigitalCommons@Fairfield:
Don't forget! The Manor yearbook is also a great source for photographs.
For research outside the scope of Fairfield University history, you may wish to schedule appointment with a research librarian. You can do that here: Schedule an Appointment with a Librarian.
Don't need a full appointment? You can Ask a Librarian by phone, text, email, or chat!
For primary research related to Fairfield University history in our Archives & Special Collections, click here to Schedule an Appointment with the University Archivist.