Creator
Rock Valley College.
Extent
18.8 ft. of material housed in 60 boxes.
Collection Summary
A collection of materials relating to the pre-organizational and early organizational history of Rock Valley College, including land records, referendum records, histories of the college, architectural records, records of ceremonies and functions held on campus. Materials include print documents, videotapes, photographs, building plans and blueprints, and physical memorabilia.
Languages
Materials entirely in English.
Processing Archivist
Processed and finding aid written by Lukas Wenner, May 2024.
Biographical / Historical Note
Rock Valley College was established by referendum in 1964 to function as the community college serving Boone, Ogle, and Winnebago counties at a central location in Rockford, Illinois. All material was compiled by the Rock Valley College Archives.
Scope & Content Note
This collection documents the pre-organizational and early organizational history of Rock Valley College. Material is divided into pre-organizational records, records relating to the college’s foundation, early college history, ceremonies and functions held on campus, and the history of the campus grounds. Files may include a variety of materials on these topics including correspondences, memoranda, reports, videotapes, photographs, building plans and blueprints, physical memorabilia, or newspaper clippings.
Arrangement Description
Files are arranged into five series, all also divided into subseries. Series and subseries within the collection mostly retain their original order. Where order has been imposed, materials are ordered by subject, chronologically where dates are known.
Access Statement
Collection is open and available for research use, by appointment only. Access to playback equipment for some material is not guaranteed. Access to material is in person only, unless material is digitized and accessible remotely.
Rights Statement
Copyright has not been assigned to Rock Valley College for all material. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Preferred Citation
[ITEM DESCRIPTION], [COLLECTION TITLE], Estelle M. Black Library, Rock Valley College, Rockford, Illinois.
Series 1: Pre-organizational Records
This series includes 11 boxes divided into 3 subseries covering records, news media publications, and the history of the land the Rock Valley College campus was built on.
Subseries 1: Records Box [1-2]
Subseries 2: News Media Box [3-5]
Subseries 3: Land History Box [6-11]
Series 2: College Foundation
This series includes 7 boxes divided into 2 subseries covering the election that established Rock Valley College and the various Citizen Committees that were formed to support it.
Subseries 1: Formation Election [Box 1, Folder 1]
Subseries 2: Citizen Support Committees [Box 1-7]
Series 3: Early College History
This subseries includes 17 boxes divided into 5 subseries covering, physical campus memorabilia, slide show presentations, histories written about Rock Valley College, printed materials describing Rock Valley College, and forms and certificates published by Rock Valley College.
Subseries 1: Memorabilia [Box 1-3]
Subseries 2: Slide and Sound Presentations [Box 4-14]
Subseries 3: Histories Compiled on RVC [Box 15]
Subseries 4: Printed Material Describing RVC [Box 16]
Subseries 5: Forms and Certificates [Box 17]
Series 4: Ceremonies and Functions
This series includes 9 boxes divided into 3 subseries covering various campus functions, graduation ceremonies held on campus, and ceremonies held in recognition of anniversaries of Rock Valley College’s foundation.
Subseries 1: Campus Functions [Box 1-3]
Subseries 2: Graduation Ceremonies [Box 4-6]
Subseries 3: Anniversary Celebrations [Box 7-9]
Series 5: Buildings and Grounds
This series includes 16 boxes divided into 3 subseries covering construction done on campus prior to 1986, architects who have worked on campus, and construction done on campus after 1986.
Subseries 1: Buildings and Construction Before 1986 Box [1-14]
Subseries 2: Architects [Box 15, Folder 1]
Subseries 3: Construction After 1986 [Box 15-16]