This collection consists of original and copy negatives taken by various sources over several decades. Most of the negatives were produced by the Office of News and Communication's News Bureau in the early years of Duke University and later by University Photography (upon its establishment).

Contains negatives and some matching prints of University-related subjects, including people (i.e. faculty, trustees, students, etc.), buildings, construction, schools and departments. While dates range from 1855-1995, it is necessary to note that the majority of the negatives are copy negatives, rather than originals. While a good number of original negatives are included in this collection, the user should be aware that some of the corresponding dates refer to when the copy negative was made, not when the original picture was taken. In most cases, it is noted on the negative sleeve if the negative is a copy or an original. Furthermore, users should be aware that some negatives are of published material. For instance, several pages from the Chanticleer and the Chronicle were photographed and the negatives were kept. On some of the sleeves, users will find notes presumably made by the photographer regarding print quality.

An attempt was made to bring a cohesiveness to the negative collection for easier patron and staff access. The negatives are arranged in the following series: Subject Negatives, General Negatives, Building Negatives, Construction Negatives, Faculty Negatives, Medical Center Negatives, and Numbered Negatives. The Numbered Negatives are copy negatives pulled from the larger University Archives Photograph Collection. Any future additions to the negative collection will follow the numbering format.

The Duke University Board of Trustees has existed since 1924, and grew out of the Trinity College Board of Trustees that existed from 1859 to 1924. The Board is responsible for making major steering decisions in the administration of the school. The Board of Trustees records contain minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, subject files, trustee handbooks, and other records of the Board and Executive, standing, and ad hoc committees. The minutes include reports, correspondence, resolutions, recommendations for the conferring of degrees, for employment and renewal of employment, and other material. Reports include those made by University officers, Board committees, and outside consultants. The Board's records also include statements of funds and scholarships, investment reports, correspondence, audits, bylaws, petitions from students, and other material. English.

The Board of Trustees records contain minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, subject files, trustee handbooks, and other records of the Board and Executive, standing, and ad hoc committees. The minutes include reports, correspondence, resolutions, recommendations for the conferring of degrees, for employment and renewal of employment, and other material. Reports include those made by University officers, Board committees, and outside consultants. The Board's records also include statements of funds and scholarships, investment reports, correspondence, audits, bylaws, petitions from students, and other material. The minute book covering June 1901-June 1910 was destroyed by fire in 1911, but some handwritten minutes for the period were preserved and have been typed out. There are gaps in the minutes for the period 1925-1930.

The collection is divided into three main sections: Trinity College, Duke University, and Duke University Unprocessed Materials. The Trinity College series begins in 1860 and ends in 1924, the year Trinity College became Duke University. There are minute books, topical files, and yearly files. Because a fire destroyed the minute book covering June 1901-June 1910, some handwritten minutes have been transcribed; these can be found in the yearly files.

The second series, Duke University, covers 1924 to the present. It includes minutes of the Board and the Executive Committee, general records of the Board and the Executive Committee, reports, financial records, committees, and unprocessed materials. All materials less than 50 years old are closed except by special permission, in writing, from the Board of Trustees.

The third series, Duke University Unprocessed Materials, consists primarily of materials less than fifty years old, and so are restricted except by permission from the Board of Trustees.

The Office of the University Secretary at Duke University was established by by-law in 1903. The Office evolved with the University and the roles and responsibilities likely shifted from person to person. Today's Office most likely began in 1941 with Charles Jordan. The Secretary is an officer of the University and reports directly to the President. A major role of the Secretary's Office is to coordinate affairs of the Board of Trustees. Records include correspondence with Trustees and Presidents, Honorary Degrees and Search Committees for high-level administrators, reports, volunteer directories, faculty data and photographs, questionnaires and University by-laws. Some materials have been transferred to the Board of Trustees collection.

The Office of the University Secretary's records includes correspondence, reports, volunteer directories, faculty data and photographs, questionnaires, and University by-laws.

Contains the personal and professional records of Paul Magnus Gross, a Duke University administrator, researcher, educator, and scholar. Gross was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1919-1920), William H. Pegram Professor of Chemistry (1920-1965), Chair of the Chemistry Department (1921-1948), Dean of the Graduate School (1947-1952), Dean of the University (1952-1958), and Vice-President in the Educational Division (1949-1960). The Paul M. Gross Chemistry Laboratory was named in his honor. Gross was also an independent consultant with the United States Army and various commercial companies. Types of materials include correspondence, clippings, reports, research papers, meeting notes, conference materials, contracts, speeches, dedications, eulogies, lecture notes, financial information, postcards, and building plans. Major subjects include Duke University, the Graduate School, the Department of Chemistry, University Council, the Board of Trustees, University Research Council, Duke University administration, University Committee on Long-Range Planning, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, study and teaching of physical sciences, military training, war education, munitions development, United States Navy, United States Army, Office of Ordnance Research, universities in the southern United States, and the Gross-Edens controversy. Major correspondents include J. Deryl Hart, Robert Lee Flowers, Douglas M. Knight, Marcus Hobbs, Charles E. Jordan, and Arthur Hollis Edens. Materials range in date from 1935-1979. English.

Contains the personal and professional papers of Paul M. Gross. Gross served as a leader of many national scientific organizations. At Duke University, he was Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1919-1920), William H. Pegram Professor of Chemistry (1920-1965), Chair of the Chemistry Department (1921-1948), Dean of the Graduate School (1947-1952), Dean of the University (1952-1958), and Vice-President in the Educational Division (1949-1960). Types of materials include correspondence, clippings, reports, research papers, meeting notes, conference materials, contracts, speeches, dedications, eulogies, lecture notes, financial information, postcards, and building plans. Materials range in date from 1935-1979. Box 43 was added to the finding aid 8 March 2007 and is unprocessed.

The Duke University Board of Trustees is the administrative decision-making body that oversees the planning and direction of the University. The Board of Trustees Reference Collection is mainly comprised of clippings and lists of Board members. English.

The Board of Trustees Reference Collection is mainly comprised of clippings and lists of Board members. The first series, Duke University, features clippings on a number of Duke events and issues that affected the Board. The second series, Board of Trustees, contains lists of members, press reports, citations, and the "Trustee Manual."

Contains memoranda, correspondence, budgets, reports, agreements, financial information, organizational records and other printed matter from the Office of the Vice President for Business and Finance. Records concern Duke University, its various academic departments, organizations, and benefactors, including the Medical Center. These records were created by Vice President for Business and Finance Gerhard Henricksen (1962-1966) and his successor Charles B. Huestis (1966-1985), and provide a detailed account of the university's financial status. Major topics include the university's relationship with the Duke Endowment and Local Unions 77 and 465, Medical Center construction;, university properties, physical plant, and facilities renovations, national professional organizations, several university committees, the Board of Trustees, the Duke University Athletic Association, WDBS campus radio station, the Duke Vigil, Duke University Marine Lab, Huestis' personal interests and affiliations, and the departments of the Business and Finance Division (including Housing, Data Processing and the Computation Center, Accounting, Dining Halls, Personnel, Materials Support, Safety and Traffic, TelCom, and Utilities), and the University Architect. Major correspondents include University Architect, University Council, Business Manager, Corporate and University Controllers, Terry Sanford, William G. Anlyan, A. Kenneth Pye, Richard L. Jackson, J. Peyton Fuller, John Adcock. English.

Contains memoranda, correspondence, budgets, reports, agreements, financial information, organizational records and other printed matter pertaining to the financial status Duke University's academic departments, organizations, benefactors, and Medical Center. Major topics include Duke University's relationship with the Duke Endowment and Local Unions 77 and 465, the Internal Audit Office, the Chancellor's Office, the Board of Trustees, Medical Center construction, university properties, parking, the physical plant, facilities renovations, the Environmental Concerns Committee, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Institute, highway development, the Duke University Athletic Association, WDBS campus radio station, Duke University Marine Lab, Duke Forest, Charles B. Huestis, C. G. Henricksen, the American Dance Festival, business auxiliaries, departments of the Business and Finance Division (including Housing, Data Processing and the Computation Center, Accounting, Dining Halls, Personnel, Materials Support, Safety and Traffic, Utilities, and the TelCom division), the Duke Vigil, and the University Architect. Major correspondents include University Architect, University Council, Business Manager, Corporate and University Controllers, Terry Sanford, William G. Anlyan, and A. Kenneth Pye. Subject files are arranged alphabetically.

This collection contains materials of the Academic Council, established at Duke University in 1962. The Academic Council is a group of faculty members who provide representation of the body of Duke University faculty to the Administration, Board of Trustees, and other decision-making groups. Types of materials include minutes and associated materials, memoranda and correspondence, council and committee membership lists, new committee charges, reports, bylaws, policy documents and related proposals, financial records, and other records of the Academic Council and its committees. Major subjects include Duke University faculty, Duke University Administration, and Duke University Board of Trustees. Materials range in date from 1954-2000. English.

This collection contains materials of the Academic Council, established at Duke University in 1962. The Academic Council is a group of faculty members who provide representation of the body of Duke University faculty to the Administration, Board of Trustees, and other decision-making groups. The collection includes minutes and associated materials, memoranda and correspondence, council and committee membership lists, new committee charges, reports, bylaws, policy documents and related proposals, financial records, and other records of the Academic Council and its committees. Materials range in date from 1954-2000. Materials are continuously added to this collection.

The papers in this collection include Duke history professor Sydney Nathans' documentation on the Richard Nixon Presidential Library debate, including his participation in Academic Council resolutions regarding the location of the library on Duke's campus; the Greensboro Massacre (1979), when the Ku Klux Klan murdered several people during a shoot-out at an Anti-KKK demonstration planned by the Communist Workers' Party; Nathans' copies of negatives and contact sheets from the Durham bicentennial photography project (1981 and undated); and materials used in the writing of his book A Mind to Stay, including original interviews, transcripts, and other research materials.

The Nixon Library papers contain correspondence (including that of Terry Sanford, and of the creator of the collection, Sydney Nathans); newspaper and magazine clippings as well as scholarly articles; text from speeches; official statements from groups opposing the Nixon Library; and Sydney Nathan's handwritten notes from a variety of meetings. Documents also include Nathan's research on existing presidential libraries.

The Greensboro Massacre papers contain flyers and other mailings and newsletters from the Communist Workers Party and other socialist organizations; mailings from Greensboro Justice Fund and other sympathetic groups following the massacre; media and press coverage of the massacre and the subsequent trials; a police report from Greensboro's police chief; academic and other literature researching the history of violence between the Communist and Klan organizations; and other miscellaneous materials.

The Durham Bicenntenial photography project relates to a project now held in the Durham Arts Council and consists of negatives and contact sheets for a photographic history of Durham assembled in 1981.

The A Mind to Stay Interviews and Transcripts contain materials used by Sydney Nathans in writing his book A Mind to Stay: White Plantation, Black Homeland, on the descendants of enslaved families forced to migrate from North Carolina to plantations in Greensboro, Alabama, and Tunica, Mississippi, in 1844, and the communities those families formed in the following years. Materials include recordings of interviews with residents of the two towns, Nathans' transcripts and extensive notes of those interviews, photos of interviewees and local landmarks, background material and research, the text of speeches and eulogies, and Nathans' personal correspondence with historians, editors, and Greensboro, Alabama, residents.