Tate Archives & Special Collections (ASC) reading room at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) is the gateway to two distinct collections that support intellectual inquiry into our University history and into other collections for surrounding communities and the world beyond. The reading room is named in honor of Catherine and Robert Tate, long-time supporters of the University. Mrs. Tate’s grandmother was Caroline Rupert (a former School of Nursing Chair). Mr. Tate was a graduate of the University of Chicago.

The archives’ physical home is on the 4th floor of the Ames Library which is on the south border of IWU. The main archives website is a gateway to information on researching in our collections, our University Archives’ Finding Aid (the index for specific collections’ locations), and several links to descriptions of Special Collections holdings. Additionally, some digitized archives and special collections material are now available at the library’s main Digital Commons and Image Collections pages. A research guide created to find disparate references and collections is available also.

For assistance accessing collections, email archives@iwu.edu