Our Collections

Archives and Special Collections, a department of Hope College's Van Wylen Library, is the consolidation of the archival collections of Hope College, Western Theological Seminary and other organizations that contract for archival services.

Mission Statement

We promote the educational mission of Hope College and its partner institutions by actively collecting, caring for, interpreting and making available the unique historical resources in its care.

View our full mission statement 

College Publications

Works and writings from Hope College students and administrative offices. Materials are held in Digital Commons, the online institutional repository.

• Alumni Magazine: a monthly periodical aimed at Hope College graduates (ceased in 1979)
• The Anchor: Hope College's student-run newspaper
• Course Catalogs: information about areas of study, important dates in the academic calendar, course schedules and general college history
• The Quarterly: a newsletter put out four times a year by the Archives
• The Milestone: the annual Hope College yearbook
• News from Hope College: a newsletter put out six times a year by the college

Historical Records

Papers, manuscripts and audiovisual materials dating from 1866.

• Digital Commons: an online institutional repository that provides access to the scholarly and creative works of the Hope College community
• Collections Search: a database of materials held by the Archives
• Newspapers: selected periodicals issued in West Michigan and the Netherlands
• Oral Histories: recorded interviews with important figures, famous and obscure

Featured Image Collections

Our Featured Image Collections consist of photographs, postcards and other images dating mainly from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. Subjects include the Hope College campus, student life and the history of Holland, Michigan.

Browse the Featured Image Collections 

The Archives has thousands of other photographs that have not been featured here. Please email archives@hope.edu to request scans of these images or schedule an appointment to visit in person.

To use any of these pictures in your own work, please consult our Image Reproduction Policy and Citation Guidelines.

Rare Books

Our collection of rare books includes works on art, history, literature, mathematics and science, as well as a collection of Bibles.

Rare Books Collection