Search the Collections

Many materials in the collection are NOT indexed online, especially audio and visual material, and artifacts. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact the archives directly for assistance.

Search Online Finding Aids for Archival Records

While the actual content of archival collections is not digitized and available online, detailed descriptions, called "finding aids," for over 3,500 collections from the University of Minnesota Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department are available online, including a small, but steadily increasing number from the YMCA Archives. These finding aids vary from a basic summary of the content, dates, and size, to a detailed folder by folder inventory. To limit your search to collections from the YMCA Archives, uncheck all but the box next to "Kautz Family YMCA Archives" on the search screen. NOTE: Many of our finding aids are still only available at the Archives, however, so please contact the archives directly if you don't find what you are looking for.

»See a basic listing of all the major archival records collections and subgroups in the YMCA Archives (links are provided to finding aids when they are available)
»Browse a list of online finding aids for the YMCA Archives

MNCAT_®, The University of Minnesota Libraries Online Catalog

Most of the books and journals and some of the archival records in the Kautz Family YMCA Archives are cataloged in MNCAT.

Note that MNCAT includes material from all the University of Minnesota Libraries, not just the Archives. To limit your search to materials in the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, select the "advanced" search option. Under the "limit search to" section, change the location from "all libraries" to "YMCA Archives."

YMCA Archives Digital Image Database

This database includes digital images of selected materials from the collections, primarily photographs, but also small numbers of postcards and historical documents. Images currently available include all material used in our major exhibits on the history of African Americans and the YMCA (presented in October 2003 in Washington D.C.) and the cover art from Association Men magazine (presented in Nashville in July 2006) as well as additional material. While we are continuing to add images to the database, it currently includes only a tiny percentage of the collections so please contact the archives directly if you don't find what you are looking for.