The materials housed in the USMA Library Archives & Special Collections comprise three categories: Archives, Special Collections, & Manuscripts. See below for more detail and information on searching our holdings.
The Archives collection constitutes the permanent, official, institutional records of the U.S. Military Academy. To qualify for the Archives, the material must have been generated by the Academy in the course of official business and must be of permanent historical value. The Archives also include series of Academy publications, such as the cadet yearbook, Howitzer; the post newspaper, Pointer View; Annual Reports of the Superintendent; and others.
The USMA Archives are an Affiliated Archive of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and constitute Record Group 404 of the National Archives of the United States. This record group is comprised of materials in a variety of formats. Although maintained at West Point, use of these materials is governed by applicable NARA rules, regulations, and statutes.
Highlights from our Archives
USMA ArchivesSpace is our new database for searching and viewing the official records of the U.S. Military Academy (Archives). This database is a work in progress. If you are unable to find what you are looking for, please contact us for further assistance.
Found something you would like to consult? Learn how to plan your visit.
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The Special Collections feature a variety of published materials. The collections contain books, maps, and West Point publications. The book collection includes early European and American imprints; the Sylvanus Thayer Collection - acquired in the early years of the Academy; books by and about Academy alumni; the Patton and Bradley collections; and books on the history of West Point, the Academy, the Hudson Valley, and the military.
Highlights from our Special Collections
The materials held in our Special Collections are all available to search in our library catalog, Scout, or simply use the "Search Scout" box located at the top of this page.
To narrow results to Special Collections only, follow these steps:
If you are unable to find what you are looking for, please contact us for further assistance.
Found something you would like to consult? Learn how to plan your visit.
The manuscripts collection consists largely of material generated by or related to Academy alumni, with some non-graduate papers as well. The collection encompasses personal papers, such as letters, diaries, memoirs, photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia and other ephemera relating to cadet life and the careers of armed forces personnel.
Many of the materials held in our Manuscripts collection are available to search in our library catalog, Scout, or simply use the "Search Scout" box located at the top of this page.
To narrow results to Manuscripts only, follow these steps:
We also have a variety of finding aids for our Manuscripts collection available on our digital collections page.
If you are unable to find what you are looking for, please contact us for further assistance.
Found something you would like to consult? Learn how to plan your visit.
