Materials Archives

Help preserve the history of writing centers .. .

The Writing Centers Research Project at the University of Louisville has established an archive--spoken memories and written records of writing center history--to preserve writing center history and facilitate scholars' research. The WCRP has begun interviewing those instrumental in creating and directing early writing centers, as well as those active in regional and national organizations and in early publications on writing centers.

You may search our Writing Centers archive to see materials we currently hold. A list of oral histories we have conducted is also available. (see oral history list). Please contact the WCRP staff if you are a researcher who would like access to any of these materials.

Search the Writing Centers materials archive.

Donate materials to the WCRP Writing Center archives

In our effort to create a comprehensive archive of written, audio, and visual materials, we invite donations for the archival collection. Before you discard materials related to your writing center's history, please consider donating them to the WCRP archives. Those willing to donate materials may mail them to the WCRP or make other arrangements with the WCRP to submit them. Your tax-deductible donations will be acknowledged by return mail, and the Research Project will reimburse mailing costs where requested.

Submission Procedures

Below, we provide a list of materials that the WCRP hopes to collect during the initial phase of the archival project. If you are interested in donating materials, please complete the form below, and a member of the WCRP staff will contact you as soon as possible to acknowledge your donation(s).

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

School affiliation:

Writing center mailing address (or departmental address or your personal address if no longer affiliated with a writing center):

Writing center web address: http://

Check each item below that you are willing to contribute to the WCRP Research Archives:

Materials Related to Local Writing Centers (pre-1985 only*):

grant proposals	reports	schedules
notices to faculty	surveys and studies	meeting minutes
workshop descriptions	training materials	mission statements
flyers, bookmarks	constitutions	annual reports
writing center handbooks	audio or videotaped consultations	design blueprints and plans

Collections of student writing

Other materials from local writing centers (please specify):

Materials Related to Early Regional Writing Center Associations and the NWCA (pre-1985 only*):

board meeting minutes and/or transcripts	audiotapes of board meetings	personal correspondence
regional and national conference programs	memorabilia/ephemera	identified photographs

Other materials related to regional or national WCAs (please specify):

Out-of-Print Books, Dissertations, or Monographs on Writing Center Research, Theory, and Practice, and History:

(Please check the online bibliography of out-of-print books or download a printer-friendly version)

Please provide bibliographic information for any out-of-print books, dissertations, or monographs you plan to submit:

Miscellaneous Materials (any materials not specified above may be suggested here):

Including: materials related to relocation of local facilities; records related to creation of your writing center; policy changes regarding writing center administration; tutoring or grammar software used at your writing center; out-of-print books, dissertations, or monographs not included on the out-of-print bibliography; other materials

Please specify:

*during the initial phase of this project, only materials that were generated before 1985 will be collected. During the second phase, the WCRP will request contributions from 1985-present.