The Special Collections and Archives at Cal Poly Pomona, is dedicated to the collection, preservation, organization, and accessibility of the campuses rare books and archival collections. These collections, aligned with the university's mission and heritage, are available for use by students, faculty, staff, alumni, and scholars. These historic materials serve as invaluable resources that support research and teaching at Cal Poly Pomona while celebrating the institution's unique heritage.
The Special Collections and Archives dedicated staff identifies and acquires essential documentation about the institution and its activities, along with other archival materials that enhance and complement the collection, such as as holdings related to Student Life. The Special Collections and Archives staff work to increase accessibility by organizing and describing the materials while providing a proper preservation environment to ensure usability for generations to come. Additionally, SC&A staff offer research assistance to administrative units, faculty, alumni, and researchers, promoting awareness of the significance of the materials' through events, exhibits, and programming.
The Special Collections and Archives holdings encompass themes critical to the university's mission, documenting the history of Southern California (with a specific focus on the Pomona Valley), the Southern California Wine Industry, and the Arabian Horse. Other collecting areas are considered on a case-by-case basis. A variety of formats are collected by the Special Collections and Archives including textual materials, such as correspondence, diaries, reports, newspaper articles, books, and manuscripts, as well as audio-visual materials and electronic records, such as photographs, maps, drawings, audio recordings, film, CDs, digital images, and born digital files can be found within Special Collections and Archives.
To add a collection to the Special Collections and Archives at the Cal Poly Pomona, the first step is appraisal, where Special Collections and Archives staff assess the collection's relevance, uniqueness, and available space. If deemed relevant, the acquisition process begins, with the university assuming legal and physical control over the collection. Next, comes the accession process which includes noting important information such as the creator of the collection, the quantity, size, condition, location, storage details, and any restrictions on the collection. We also list the contents of the collection, with a brief description. Then, the collection is processed, which includes the following steps: preliminary research, surveying the collection, writing a processing plan for the collection, and deciding on the levels of processing for the collection. Collections may be processed at the item, folder, or box level.
The physical arrangement of the collection is determined by the Special Collections and Archives staff, followed by the re-housing process. All materials are housed in acid-free folders and containers to minimize damage. Basic preservation measures are taken, and a finding aid is created - a tool that serves as an inventory of collection, providing information of the scope, contents, and significance of the collection to aid researchers in understanding and navigating the collection.
To learn more about the Special Collections and Archives at Cal Poly Pomona, please visit our website, or contact Katie Richardson, Head of Special Collections and Archives, at 909-869-3109 or kirichardson@cpp.edu, or Rob Strauss, Special Collections and Archives Coordinator, at 909-869-3695 or rlstrauss@cpp.edu.