College & Research Libraries News
FOCUS ON COLLECTIONS
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Communications Library owns two advertising collections that are a rich resource of information on products advertised by numerous advertising agencies. The D’Arcy Collection is a collection of almost one million original advertisements published between 1890 and 1980. The Woodward Collection of Advertising is a collection of four million original advertisements published between 1880-1984. The majority of these advertisements appeared in newspapers, magazines, and trade journals.
An ad from the D'Arcy Advertising Collection, a collection at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communications Library.
The collections are unique in that they consist of advertisements from a variety of product and service categories including medicine, automobiles, electronics, agriculture, clothing, food and beverages, household and personal products, and technology.
The collections represent primary research materials valuable to students, researchers, and educators in advertising, history, cultural studies, women’s studies, and media studies. Their value extends far beyond a record of the history of advertising. The collections are a visual archive of the progression and development of technology, and the values, lifestyles, and material culture of Americans.
Interest in the collection has originated from UIUC students and faculty, researchers from other institutions, private corporations and businesses, as well as individuals interested in the collection for personal use. Requests for information can vary from specific advertisements or brands to more general requests for items or subject material.
The Communications Library and the College of Communications Library have highlighted selected ads from these collections in an exhibit available on the Web at: http:// www.library.uiuc.edu/adexhibit.—Lisa Romero, acting communications librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, l-romero@uiuc.edu. ■
Article Views (By Year/Month)
| 2026 |
| January: 7 |
| 2025 |
| January: 6 |
| February: 15 |
| March: 5 |
| April: 6 |
| May: 15 |
| June: 33 |
| July: 28 |
| August: 35 |
| September: 23 |
| October: 24 |
| November: 27 |
| December: 29 |
| 2024 |
| January: 1 |
| February: 0 |
| March: 1 |
| April: 11 |
| May: 5 |
| June: 1 |
| July: 10 |
| August: 3 |
| September: 3 |
| October: 1 |
| November: 5 |
| December: 2 |
| 2023 |
| January: 5 |
| February: 2 |
| March: 5 |
| April: 7 |
| May: 3 |
| June: 1 |
| July: 10 |
| August: 5 |
| September: 3 |
| October: 6 |
| November: 4 |
| December: 6 |
| 2022 |
| January: 1 |
| February: 2 |
| March: 2 |
| April: 8 |
| May: 5 |
| June: 6 |
| July: 8 |
| August: 2 |
| September: 3 |
| October: 0 |
| November: 3 |
| December: 3 |
| 2021 |
| January: 4 |
| February: 5 |
| March: 8 |
| April: 4 |
| May: 4 |
| June: 1 |
| July: 1 |
| August: 1 |
| September: 4 |
| October: 7 |
| November: 3 |
| December: 2 |
| 2020 |
| January: 0 |
| February: 8 |
| March: 4 |
| April: 2 |
| May: 2 |
| June: 2 |
| July: 1 |
| August: 1 |
| September: 3 |
| October: 5 |
| November: 0 |
| December: 3 |