WelcomeThe YMCA, founded in London in 1844, is the oldest and largest social institution in the United States, where it has been active since 1851. The Kautz Family YMCA Archives collects the historical records of its national organization, the YMCA of the USA and also holds records of the Minneapolis and Greater New York YMCAs, as well as those of Y's Men International, a service club in partnership with the YMCA. The collections document the evolution of the YMCA from its Protestant evangelical origins, including its contributions to Civil War relief, the invention of basketball and volleyball, public health campaigns in China, rural reconstruction in India and Korea, teaching English as a second language, and much more. |
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Browse a Timeline of YMCA HistoryAn online timeline of the first 150 years of YMCA history in the United States is now available. The web site is an online version of the booklet YMCA in America, 1851-2001: A History of Accomplishment over 150 Years. The original booklet is also available at the YMCA Archives or from the YMCA of the USA. »150 Year YMCA Timeline» | ||
Photos of YMCA Work in China Now OnlineThe YMCA Archives is pleased to announce the completion of a project to digitize over 700 photographs documenting YMCA work in China between 1896 and 1949. This project, co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota's East Asian Library and College of Liberal Arts Digital Content Library includes photos gathered by ordinary young American college graduates, providing rare views of 17 Chinese cities. The images document activities such as sports and physical education, industrial training, public health campaigns, science lectures, and protest movements. As a group, the photographs comprise an extremely rich resource for scholars and students who are interested in history in general and Chinese history in particular. The photographic material complements a major collection of records documenting YMCA work in China, including foreign secretaries annual and quarterly reports and serial publications. »Browse the China Photo Database» |
Need Help Getting to the YMCA Archives? Apply for the Clarke Chambers Travel FellowshipThe University of Minnesota will award three or four Clarke Chambers Travel Fellowships to support travel to do research in the Social Welfare History Archives or the Kautz Family YMCA Archives. The application deadline is April 15, 2008. »More information» |
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Search Online Finding Aids for Archives and Special CollectionsWe now offer the ability to Search Online Finding Aids. This database includes descriptions of over 3,300 collections from the University of Minnesota Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department, including the YMCA Archives. Search the YMCA Archives holdings only using the search box above. [NOTE: The database does not include all collections in the YMCA Archives, so be sure to contact us if you don't find what you are looking for.] »Search Online Finding Aids» |
Biographical Data in the ArchivesOver the years, the Archives has compiled an extensive collection of biographical data about YMCA leaders. The files include resumes, obituaries, news clippings, and occasionally small collections of personal papers such as correspondence, diaries, and manuscripts for hundreds of YMCA leaders at the local, regional, and national levels, both lay and professional. An inventory of the files is now available online, listing all individuals for whom we have a file alphabetically. »Go to the Biographical Files inventory» |
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The Archives are located at the University of Minnesota and are part of the University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections Department.
Address: Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Avenue South, Suite 318, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612.625.3445 Email: ymcaarch@umn.edu
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