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PR 380 Public Relations Writing & Media

Digital Collections

You can try searching the Pepperdine Digital Collections for digital images and documents from the archives.

If you are interested in finding photos, click on the University Archives Photograph Collection, and search for the name of your donor.

If your donor is a Pepperdine alumnus/a and you would like to research their Pepperdine experience, click on the yearbook collection and search for the name of your donor.

Archival Collections

Pepperdine's archival collections can be found in the Online Archive of California.

Enter your search terms in the search box. You can use the name of the donor, or other related terms (names of organizations of which he or she is a member, etc.). Make sure to try variations of the name (e.g., Tom, Thomas).

Once you identify files of interest, make note of the collection name, the box number, and file number or name (i.e., M. Norvel and Helen Young Papers, Box 41, Harilela file).

Email this information to Melissa (melissa.nykanen@pepperdine.edu) and set up an appointment to view the materials.

Analyzing Archival Sources

When you are reviewing the archival documents, make sure to spend a little time evaluating them as sources, just as you would any source that you find online. Consider the:

  • Perspective (and potential bias) of the writer
  • Context/situation
  • Credibility of source
  • Date (might be incomplete)