Archives and Special Collections
The Hartford International University (HIU) Archives holds institutional records from 1833 (when it was founded as the Theological Institute of Connecticut) to the present day. Included are official publications such as annual reports, course catalogs, and commencement programs. Meeting minutes, memorandum, articles, speeches, and the correspondence of presidents, faculty, alumni, board members, and others associated with the institution are also housed in the archives. Together they tell the story of the institution, and the stories of its programs, students, faculty, presidents, and alumni.
Records organized between 2024 and 2025 are accessible through Connecticut’s Archives Online (CAO). These include papers related to the January 1972 decision, the sale of the Elizabeth Street campus, and the building of the 77 Sherman Street campus. Papers documenting the founding of the Black Ministries Program, the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, the Women’s Leadership Institute, and the Macdonald Center are also included.
Prior to the days of the personal computer, the library staff created an extensive set of paper finders’ guides, organized by personal last names. For your convenience, the paper finders’ guides have been digitized. If you are interested in materials dated prior to 1972, please refer to these finders' guides in addition to the records in Connecticut’s Archives Online. You might also be interested in perusing the booklet Archives of the Case Memorial Library prepared in 1972.
The Hartford International University (HIU) Special Collections include:
Two digital collections, Illuminated Images from Armenian Gospels and Images of Islamic Art, Architecture, and Dress are accessible through the Atla Digital Library.
The Duncan Black Macdonald Book Collection -- Duncan Black Macdonald, from whom our Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is named, was responsible for stimulating interest in Arabic and Islamic Studies in Hartford as early as 1892. A beloved teacher and prolific scholar, Macdonald wrote 82 articles for the Encyclopedia of Islam, numerous journal articles, three books on Islam, and two books on Hebrew Literature. In 1942, referring to his 50 years of service in Hartford, Macdonald wrote to a friend, "Strange things have happened in that 50 years, to the world, to the Seminary and to me, but I have never repented that God led me to Hartford and kept me there. I rejoice that my soul, at least the soul of my library, is to abide at Hartford."* Currently, the library retains a collection of over 500 books, in several languages, in addition to his Arabian Nights collection, that were owned by Duncan Black Macdonald and reflect his interests.
The Arabian Nights Collection -- Duncan Black Macdonald began collecting editions of The Arabian Nights in 1895. His collection grew to include editions in several languages as well as the first European edition published in Paris in 1704. By the time Macdonald gifted it to Case Memorial Library in 1941, it had grown to over 1,000 volumes and was celebrated as the world’s greatest Arabian Nights collection.
The A.C. Thompson Book Collection
Find papers of various individuals, by last name:
A ~ B ~ BL ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J ~ K ~ L ~ M ~ MAT ~ N ~ O ~ P ~ PET ~ Q ~ R ~ S ~ SIS ~ T ~ U ~ V ~ W ~ WID ~ XYZ
If you are interested in learning more, or setting up an appointment to access our archival materials, please contact us at library@hartfordinternational.edu.
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