The Administration category contains books and other printed materials which relate to the offices, deans, presidents, and primary administrative functions of the University.
Office of the President Records: Jonathan Dickinson to Harold W. Dodds Subgroup
Office of the President Records: William G. Bowen Subgroup
Office of the President Records: Robert F. Goheen Subgroup
Office of the President Records: Harold T. Shapiro Subgroup
Annual Reports to the President
Additional collections relating to Administration
Official Register
Call no. P11.73
1909-1974
The Official Register is a compiled volume which, in most years, contains the Catalogue, the Undergraduate Announcement, the Graduate Announcement, Annual Reports of the President and Treasurer, separate announcements for each department and school, a general descriptive booklet, and Freshman Entrance Examination papers. Several of these sections, such as the Catalogue and the Undergraduate Announcement and Graduate Announcement are available separately.
Undergraduate Announcement
Call no. P11.737.7
1933-2008
The Undergraduate Announcement is an annual publication which serves to inform the undergraduate student body, including prospective undergraduates, of the terms of admission, the system of undergraduate study, the requirements for graduation, and the expenses associated with student life such as tuition and room rental. The Announcement is very similar in its content to portions of the Undergraduate Catalog and the General Catalogue.
Catalogue
Undergraduate Catalog
Call no. P13.73
1821-1959
The Catalogue is an annual volume which contains chapters describing the University administration, departments and courses, terms of admission, rules and regulations, and other information relevant to student life. It also contains a directory listing of officers and students of the University. With the exception of the directory most of this information is replicated in the Undergraduate Announcement, however in general the Catalogue is more expansive and contains several sections which the Announcement does not.
Graduate School Announcement
Call no. P13.73.2
1958-2008
The Graduate School Announcement is a yearly publication which is analogous to the Undergraduate Announcement in its contents, however pertaining to the academic requirements, facilities, and regulations of the graduate college.
General Catalogue
Call no. P13.73.3
1959-1976
The General Catalogue is the successor to the earlier (Undergraduate) Catalogue. It is essentially identical to that publication in the information it contains. The notable exception is that the General Catalogue lacks the student directory which is found in the Catalogue. This annually published title is not to be confused with the similarly titled General Catalogue, 1746-1906 which is a historical directory of alumni and faculty. The General Catalogue ceased publication in 1976, however all of the information it contained can be found in the Register and the Undergraduate Announcement.
Register
Call no. P20.732
1976-2008
The Register is a yearly volume which contains a directory of trustees, officers, and faculty and professional staffs of the University. The Register also lists endowed professorships and preceptorships, faculty and trustee committees, advisory councils, and academic and administrative offices.
Telephone Directories, Guide Books, Etc.
Call nos. P14.73.5 to P15.738
Several different titles/types of telephone directories and guidebooks exist. The Centrex Telephone Directory (P14.73.2) starts in August 1964 and continues to present, switching in title to the “Campus Telephone Directory” in 1982-83. Centrex is preceded by several other issuances which sometimes overlap, such as the Princeton University Directory (P14.75), the Bureau of Student Aid Student Telephone Directory (P14.76), and the List of the Members of Princeton University (P14.922)
This section also contains various Guide Books (P15.735.5 to P15.85) ranging in date from the 1900s to the 1940s. Some are more utilitarian in nature and serve a function similar to the directories, while others such as Princeton Handbook are formatted like mini Bric-A-Bracs/Catalogues and contain pictures. Copies of the Freshman Handbook can be found in boxes and are very small in size.
Trustees Materials
Call nos. P20.738 to P23.870
This section consists of various documents issued by the Trustees, including several printed versions of the By-Laws of the Trustees, the Charter, and the final reports of the Trustees' Committees on Co-Education and the Structure of the University.
Annual Report of the President
Call no. P25.73
The Annual Report of the President is issued at the close of the academic year, and up until 1924 it was published in conjunction with the Annual Report of the Treasurer (P28.8). The report provides a yearly analysis of the status of the University in terms of departmental changes, new administrators, notable gifts, building projects, etc. Early versions of the report simply provide a basic narrative but around the 1960s it begins to take on a more topical approach. By the 1970s the report is akin to a "state of the University" address focusing on one specific issue or theme. Note that there are also some special or supplemental reports, such as the one produced in 1967 covering the entire decade 1957-1967.
The report is also included as part of the Official Register each year (P11.73) and some of the volumes are labeled “Official Register” on the spine.
Treasurer's Reports
Call no. P28.8
The Treasurer’s Financial Reports date from 1928 when the title ceased being published with the Report of the President in a single volume. For a time period in the mid-1970s the title switches to “Audited Financial Statements” and then reverts to “Report of the Treasurer” in 1988. Regardless of the title, the report always contains a detailed breakdown of the University’s finances for the year covered including gains, investments, cash flow, and major gifts to the endowment.
The Daily Princetonian
Call no. P71.737
1878-1885
These are the early bound issues of the Daily Princetonian, generally encompassing the period when the paper was only issued once every two weeks. Bound and in fragile condition, the paper is digest sized and bound, as opposed to the larger newsprint edition with which modern students are familiar. Notably, these early issues also include the contributions of Woodrow Wilson 1879, who was one of the paper’s first editors. Topics covered in the early Princetonian are analogous to those which continue to dominate the pages: sports, campus events, and student life. Absent however from this early publication are the associated press dispatches and world news articles which the Princetonian began to feature in 1910.
A database of the Daily Princetonian and other Princeton University and town of Princeton, New Jersey publications can be found in the Papers of Princeton.
The Princeton Alumni Weekly
Call no. P90.731
1900-Present
Founded in 1900, the Princeton Alumni Weekly (often simply referred to as PAW) is a magazine published and printed by Princeton University Press. Issued weekly until 1977 and biweekly thereafter, PAW is targeted to alumni and other members of the Princeton University community, and contains articles about current campus events as well as feature articles of a more general nature (but always related to Princeton and its alumni). PAW also contains two long-running features: The "Class Notes" section, in which alumni are encouraged to submit brief updates on their lives; and the "Memorials" section, in which an obituary is printed for any Princeton alumni that have passed on. Both of these sections are valuable resources when compiling genealogical data on alumni.
The Princeton Alumni Weekly Memorial Index, 1894-2011 provides obituaries of alumni, faculty, and honorary class members from 1894, April to 2011, July.
Digitized issues from 2006-present are available to view on the Princeton Alumni Weekly website.
The Princeton University Weekly Bulletin
Call no. P29.737.12, Oversize P11.73.2f
The Princeton Weekly Bulletin is a weekly events listing for the Princeton campus. Included are details on upcoming lectures and speaking engagements, weekly chapel services, and other happenings. Modern issues of the PWB adopt a more expanded format which features color photographs and which is somewhat more narrowly directed towards University staff.
The Princeton University Weekly Bulletin along side other Princeton University and Princeton, New Jersey town publications can be found in the Papers of Princeton.
