About

This catalogue is a searchable database of descriptions of the archives held at the University of Strathclyde. Our collections include:

University Archives
The official records of the University of Strathclyde, documenting its history from its foundation in 1796 as Anderson’s Institution by John Anderson, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University. Anderson left instructions in his will for the establishment of a second higher education institution in Glasgow which would be a place of 'useful learning' and of education for all, regardless of gender or social class. The University developed rapidly, soon gaining a reputation as a major technological institution.

The history of the development of the University since those early days is complex, including several mergers with other educational institutions in Glasgow. We hold the records not only of the University but of most of these other institutions too. Our largest such collection is the records of Jordanhill College of Education, which merged with the University in 1993 to become the University’s Faculty of Education. At the time of the merger, the College was the largest teacher training college in the UK. We hold the records of the College and its antecedents dating back to 1828 with the opening of a model infant school by the Glasgow Infant School Society.

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In addition to the official University archives, we also hold the papers of many former staff and students and associated organisations.

Deposited Archives
A diverse range of archives which have been acquired by gift or deposit to support the University’s teaching and research. Our main strengths are education, town planning, investigative journalism, shipping, the iron and coal industries, environmental health and art.