Collection Guide
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San Jose State Normal School Records
MSS-2010-04-01
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: San Jose State Normal School Records
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2010-04-01
Physical Description:
42 boxes
(46 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1860-1990
Abstract: The San Jose State Normal School Records collection consists of various types of records created both by admnistration and
students. In addition, the collection contains a small number of realia in the form of banners, flags, and the gown of a 1916
Normal School graduate.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San Jose State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
San Jose State Normal School Records, MSS-2010-04-01, San Jose State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Collection processed by Silke Higgins. Finding aid encoded in EAD by Silke Higgins in 2010. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
Jose, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San Jose State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
San Jose State Normal School Principals and Early Presidents Records, MSS-2009-02-01, San Jose State University Library Special
Collections & Archives.
San Jose State Normal School Teaching Tools Collection, MSS-2009-02-06, San Jose State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San Jose State Normal School Records document the early history and student life of the State Normal School. This collection
consists of various types of records: accounting and financial files and ledgers, attendance and achievement records, board
meeting minutes, commencement records, diplomas, enrollment statistics, graduate lists, student placements filed in cards
and ledgers, teachers' class journals, and trustee information, as well as general records pertaining to the daily operation
of the school. Also included are a large number of records created by students of the San Jose State Normal School, such as
alumni publications,
Alpha Phi Omega meeting minutes, class diaries, photo albums, scrapbooks, and sketches. In addition, the collection contains a small number
of realia in the form of banners, flags, and the dress of a 1906 Normal School graduate.
This collection is arranged into six series: Series I: Administrative and Financial Records, 1861-1932; Series II: Legal Documents,
1870-1936; Series III: Office of the Registrar Records, 1860-1955; Series IV: Students, Faculty, and Alumni Records and Publications,
1863-1927; Series V: Miscellanea, 1871-1990; and Series VI: Textiles, 1881-1921.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Education, Higher -- California -- San José.
San Jose State Normal School
San José State Teachers College -- History
California State Normal School -- History.
Minns' Evening Normal School -- History.
San Jose State Normal School -- Training School -- History.
San Jose State Normal School -- History.
San Jose State University -- History.
San Jose State Teachers College -- History.