University Archives

Collections in the Archives

All documents are housed in an off-campus site so materials are not immediately available. It may take 2-4 days after a request has been made for the documents to be available for use in the Archives.

The University Archives contains the official records of Portland State University dating from the inception of Vanport Extension Center on 24 March 1946.The archives includes paper records, university publications, photographs, reel to reel and cassette tapes, and memorabilia relating to the University.

Paper records include Vanport history; legislative documents; files from the office of the President and other administrative and academic units; financial records; professor's personal papers; and materials from University affiliated organizations.

University publications include catalogues, class schedules, bulletins, newsletters, and programs.

Photographs currently are limited. The majority are of the early Vanport days and include Vanport photos of the 1948 Memorial Day flood, the Vanport and Oregon Ship campuses, Dr. Stephen Epler, founder of PSU, and Dr. Jean Black, first librarian. It is our hope that the photograph collection will become much more extensive.

Portland State University Archives is not a museum and for this reason ephemera is limited consisting predominantly of programs, invitations, announcements, and other such items.

Research Services

University Archives provides research assistance through a variety of means:

In Person: Reference assistance is provided by the Archivist(s).
Telephone: 503.725.5760
Email: archives@lists.pdx.edu
Hours: Limited, please call in advance

Using Archival Materials

The following rules apply to the use of the archival holdings:

All materials will be used within the Archives office
Patrons will use only pencils for note taking
White gloves, to be provided by the Archives, will be used for fragile documents
Sound recordings: arrangements prior to use required to ensure the proper playback and listening equipment will be available. Please contact us.
Photocopies: The Archivist(s) will make photocopies of documents and photographs within the collection but reserves the right to restrict such reproductions due to size, condition, and/or donor requirements. There will be a fee for this service to be collected in cash at the time of the service. All other photographic or recording reproductions will be made by the PSU Multimedia Production Services which establishes the fees and conditions for reproduction.

Permissions to Publish/Display

Permission must be obtained from the Archivist to publish or permanently display reproductions of Archives materials and/or to use its audio recordings for any type of media production. It is the responsibility of the user to observe all U.S. Copyright regulations. Patrons may obtain a Request for Permission form from the PSU Archivist.

Public Service Policy

The Archives is a public facility and the holdings are open to faculty, staff, students, and the public for research. According to Oregon state laws, these public records are open unless such use would violate the privacy of individuals under the Federal Privacy Act or Oregon law.

Confidentiality and Access

Oregon State law guarantees the public access to all public records that have not been specifically exempted from disclosure.

In addition, the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 192.501 and 192.502, which pertain to higher education, have made other records exempt from disclosure. Those exempt records may include but are not limited to tests and examination materials, archeological site and object information, personnel discipline actions, threatened and endangered species information, faculty research, personal privacy information, employee or volunteer addresses and telephone numbers contained in personnel records, workers compensation claim records, and library circulation records.

Oregon Higher Education Law, ORS 351.065 restricts access to personnel files maintained within the University System to twenty-five years after the individual has left employment at PSU. It does grant to the individual, the right to his or her personnel records. Employee information which may be disclosed is prescribed by Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 580-022-0090 and is as follows: directory information which is used to identify or locate a named faculty member including information that is readily found in published documents such as institutional catalogues; objective evidence of a faculty member's academic achievement, limited to information as the number of credits earned toward a degree or in post doctoral work, and certificate(s), diploma(s), license(s) and degree(s) received; salary information and the record of terms or conditions of employment.

The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA or Buckley Amendment) of 1974 and its Oregon equivalent ORS 351.07 (e) restricts public access to most student records and information without consent of the student. The exception to this is access by University officials who have demonstrated a particular need to know as part of their official duties.

"Directory" information may be released upon request by the Office of the Registrar and may be released without the consent of the student. (OARS 577-03-0020) PSU directory information is defined by OARS 577-030-0010 as: Full name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, number of credits earned, and the fact of enrollment, including whether the student is enrolled full-time or part-time. Currently enrolled students may file a request with the Office of the Registrar that the designated directory information be kept confidential. The request remains applicable in perpetuity or until the student requests a change.

Records access and information disclosure is a complex issue. This section should not be considered legal advice. Questions regarding the disclosure of personnel and student information should be directed to one of the following resources: Office of Human Resources, Office of the Registrar, or to the Special Assistant to the (PSU) President.

Questions? Contact University Archives
Phone: 503.725.5760 Email: archives@lists.pdx.edu Location: 596 Millar Library Hours: Current Hours