CCSU's Elihu Burritt Library includes Special Collections & Archives to preserve and improve access to university and Connecticut history. To support scholars in their research, the department develops and publishes archival "finding aids" that describe these collections in theConnecticut Archives Online.
Archival materials not yet digitized or published can be requested by contacting University Archivist Renata Vickrey (860-832-2085).
Established in 1986 with a grant from the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission, the CONNECTICUT POLISH AMERICAN ARCHIVE (CPAA) collects,
preserves and makes accessible documents related to the history of the Polish
American community, with a special emphasis on the history of the Polish
Americans in Connecticut and New England. Finding aids for the CPAA collection can be accessed online.
The Polish American Pamphlet collection is available at the Connecticut Digital Archive.
There are several significant collections including the
following: John Loughery, Richard Cardarelli, George W. Henry, Christine Pattee,
The Connecticut Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights, and the Connecticut
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The GLBTQ Archives is comprised of two major collections: The first is the ABLE
Archives, a collection of books, videos, pamphlets, reports, and teaching aids
that focus on gender equity and women's issues. The second is a collection of
manuscripts, letters, photographs, books, buttons, T- shirts, videos, postcards,
flyers, and periodicals by and about Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered.
The collection is particularly strong in materials by and about Connecticut's GLBT communities, and religion and the Gay Community.
The William A. O'Neill Oral history project is produced under the auspices of the
CCSU Center for Public Policy and Social Research. The interviews focus on the administration of Connecticut Governor William A. O'Neill (1980-1990), whose humanitarian and environmental policies were notable for the era. During his tenure Governor O'Neill tackled a myriad of issues, from clean drinking water and assistance for the mentally challenged to appointing the first female Chief Justice of Connecticut's Supreme Court.
View the finding aid for the John J. Woodcock Lemon Law papers located in the Elihu Burritt Library Special Collections Department. The Lemon Law oral histories are significant for their impact on Connecticut governing initiatives that reverberated nationwide. The Lemon Law legislation was designed to protect consumers from fraud and abuse by auto manufacturers.
Many of these interviews are also available online in our Oral history digital collection.
