Use Restrictions

Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of James Madison University is retained by James Madison University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information, contact the Special Collections Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], James Madison University Vertical Files, 1909-2022, UA 0058, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Collected from a varierty of sources over time, primarily by a Special Collections staff member.

Processing Information

In some instances, materials previously grouped together in a vertical file were added to existing manuscript collections or used to form a new manuscript collection. See Julian A. Burruss Papers (UA 0023), John W. Wayland Papers (SC 0258), and Office of the Presidnet: G. Tyler Miller Papers (UA 0025). These decisions were made due to material type and likely provenance.

Accruals

This collection receives regular additions of materials.

Biographical/Historical Note

The collection documents the history of James Madison University from its founding 1908 to present day.

Scope and Contents

The James Madison University vertical files comprise 153 folders that contain printed ephemera related to James Madison University. The vertical files are an artificial collection of loose materials such as pamphlets, newspapers, posters, brochures, etc. that relate to the history of the university since its founding in 1908. The vertical files are arranged according to subject and focus on specific persons, topics, events, places and buildings, university departments, etc.

The vertical files cover a wide range of topics, some center on the student experience while others document university level events and planning. From Greek life to Glee club, certain files center on the student experience taking place within the university. Some such subjects are the African-American experience starting in 1980 to the LGBTQ+ pamphlets that were created in 2018. At the university level, there are files dedicated to specific events and administration planning. Some examples are the orientation programs and the commencement planning files.

Materials of note include the contents in the fine arts festival file which contains ephemera from 1958-1992 and has items such as a brochure from 1975 entitled "Portrait of a Period: an Exhibition of Madisonian Costumes," which overviews an exhibit on costumes through the age of the university. A paper titled "Wanted! Academic Freedom," found in the Convocation file, was passed out after convocation to protest the firing of three teachers.

Arrangement

The files in the collection are arranged alphabetically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• James Madison University
• James Madison University -- Buildings
• James Madison University -- Departments
• James Madison University -- History
• James Madison University -- Students
• Madison College
• Printed Ephemera
• State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.)
• State Normal and Industrial School for Women (Harrisonburg, Va.)
• State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.)