Robert E. Kennedy Library
University Archives Collections
Examples of Collections
When the fledgling California Polytechnic School was founded on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo in 1901, school administrators emphasized two courses of study: agriculture and mechanics. After nearly six years of operation, local photographer Frank Aston was hired to photograph students at work and play. There are more 200 photographic images of Cal Poly and its environs, including ranches, buildings, views of the campus, livestock, special events, and athletics from those early days included in this collection, offering a rich visual record of life at this rural vocational school.
The University Archives collects commercially published monographs written or compiled by members of the university's faculty. In addition, Digital Commons acquires and manages scholarly, intellectual, and creative work produced by members of the Cal Poly community.
Cal Poly Course Catalogs have been released every other year since 1903. All editions of the Cal Poly Course Catalog are available online at Digital Commons.
University Archives has all of the Poly Royal buttons from when the buttons first appeared in 1958 through 1987. See a slideshow of the buttons online.
The University Archives has a full run of the campus newspapers, beginning with the first issue of the Polytechnic Journal from 1906 to the latest Mustang Dailies (on microfiche).
