Special Collections & University Archives holds hundreds of audio recordings in varying formats documenting the history of San Diego State and San Diego. These recordings represent the experience of San Diego State and San Diego in the twentieth century as reflected in recorded sound.

There are two major series of recordings available:

San Diego State University History:

Recordings relevant to the history of the San Diego State University campus. Items include oral histories of prominent faculty members and 1930s alumni, audio recordings featuring notable alumni, video highlights from the University Archives Multimedia Collection, videos held by the Associated Students of SDSU, and recordings documenting alumni events and guest speakers on campus.

San Diego History:

Recordings pertaining to the history of the San Diego region, including interviews with notable San Diegans and recordings of local residents offering first-hand accounts of events of historical importance. Topics include women in politics, the history of San Diego art, Veterans (from World War I and the Vietnam War), the Great Depression, Chicano history, and much more.

Note that this exhibit does not include the totality of our audio holdings. Rather, it features a representative sample of available subjects. If you are interested in further research of related recordings, please contact Special Collections. Contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.

Raising Our Voices is dedicated in honor of our dear friend and colleague, Lyn Olsson, who passed away on February 24, 2012. Lyn was an abiding presence in Special Collections and University Archives for many years and was instrumental in the original development of much of the audiovisual material presented at this site.

Statement on Copyright in the Collections:  San Diego State University Library and Information Access makes digital versions of our collections accessible in the following situations:

• The materials are in the public domain.
• The copyright interests in the materials belong to or have been transferred to SDSU Library and Information Access.
• SDSU Library and Information Access has received permission from a rights holder to make them accessible.
• The materials are made accessible for educational and research purposes as a legal fair use.
• There are no known restrictions on use.

San Diego State University Library and Information Access has made a reasonable effort to secure any permissions needed in order to digitally make available the materials found in these collections for personal or research use.

We would like to learn more about our digital holdings, and to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified so that we may make the necessary corrections. If you have any additional information about these materials, or if you would like to suggest a correction, please email us at askscua@sdsu.edu.