YMCA Archives

World War I, the Great Depression, and immigration all contributed to a growing number of people who were unattached — unmarried and not linked to communities in significant ways. To study these single people, most of whom were men, Doris Brossard, a doctoral student of modern U.S. history, gender, and women’s history at Rutgers University, recently came to the University Libraries to access the Social Welfare History Archives and the Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

By Allison Campbell-Jensen On March 19, Reference and Outreach Archivist Ryan Bean will introduce the idea of global racism to the World Alliance of the...

In all, 25,926 men and women served during World War I with the YMCA — in the United States and globally — caring for the mental, spiritual, and physical needs of the troops. Each person had a punch card laden with data, including name, gender, age, marital status, and more. The cards, part of the U's YMCA Archives, are being decoded through Zooinverse, a crowdsourcing platform, and they are a potential treasure trove for researchers.

Anthony Comstock is well-known as the instigator of the Comstock Law, which was passed by the United States in 1873 in an effort to stop the shipment and sale of “obscene materials” through the U.S. mail. Less well known is the role played by the Young Men’s Christian Association of the City of New York — now the YMCA of Greater New York — in making Comstock’s vision a reality.

Significant portions of the records of YMCA international work in China — one of the richest and most heavily used collections at the Libraries' Kautz Family YMCA Archives — is now freely available online.

Four research fellows are now using the Social Welfare History Archives and Kautz Family YMCA Archives with assistance from the Clarke Chambers Fellowship. The fellowships fund travel to the archives for dissertation writers and early career scholars. The first Chambers fellowship was awarded in 1992 and, to date, 126 fellows have visited the archives.  

Louise A. Merriam Archivist, YMCA of Greater New York In the 19th century, the CEO of the New York City YMCA, then called a secretary, spent...

The Immigration History Research Center Archives, with our colleague Immigration History Research Center, celebrates 50 years this fall at the University of Minnesota.

When we think of a library, we may picture the typical modern library, a community space with books and other publications available to the public for study. However, many of the libraries we know today were preceded by the early libraries and reading rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

The context and understanding which the study of archives provides allow researchers to discern the historical underpinnings of current events, and the evolution of ideas over time. Within the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, the history of Black, African, and African Americans within the organization reveals contributions that have strengthened and clarified the scope and breadth of the YMCA.

Archivists are frequently called upon to preserve and provide access to the evidence of history, but we seldom have the opportunity to help make it. As part of our work, we document many communities, but less often do we have the opportunity to connect and cooperate with these communities to help them tap into their history and leverage it.

By Linnea Anderson, Archivist, Social Welfare History Archives The fellowships were established in honor of Clarke Chambers, Professor Emeritus of History and the founder of...

Melanie Doherty, a Project Archives Research and Reference Assistant at the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, created an exhibit that narrates a story of the life of the Russian exile after the Russian Revolution and the importance of of reading material to those exiles.

By Ellen Engseth, Curator of Immigration History Research Center Archives and Head, Migration and Social Services Collections Joining the staff of Archives and Special Collections...

Elizabeth Vocasek (M.Ed. in Youth Development Leadership, 2013) contributed this blog entry about using sources in the Social Welfare History Archives and Kautz Family...

On January 11th Andersen Library was pleased to welcome 50 students from Olson Middle school, Bloomington, MN. These 6th and 7th graders who are...