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Guide to the Archival Collections

The AKC Archives is arranged into four major groups:

In addition to the library book and periodical collection, there is also an assortment of photographs, pamphlets, clippings, pedigrees, and more in the Library & Archives vertical files.

Contact the Archivist for further information on undescribed materials and/or to make advance appointments (required) to consult archival holdings.

Please note that the list below may not represent the most accurate, up-to-date inventory. Click here to search all processed AKC archival collections.

Clubs

This group contains the bulk of the AKC Archives’ holdings: AKC Parent Club and select Member Club records. The collections varyingly consist of meeting minutes, constitutions, by-laws, officer lists and files, original research on breeds, correspondence, brochures, pamphlets, premium lists, show catalogs, club publications, photographs, audio-visual material, and more.

The club collections by breed group:

The AKC Library & Archives holds further materials produced by its parent and member clubs, outside of large collection donations. To inquire about these holdings, or to discuss the deposit of club records with the AKC Library & Archives, contact the Archivist.

People

Individuals who have played a major role in the sport of the purebred dog are included. People may include judges, breeders, artists, authors, handlers, and owners. The bulk of the collections consist of correspondences, photographs, personal research, pedigrees, scrapbooks, and more. These collections are listed alphabetically by last name.

AKC Administrative

The bulk of the Administrative collection consists of various departmental records from 1884 to the present. Records include the following items:

  • Board of Director Meeting Minutes (1884-present)
  • Constitution and By-Laws (1884-present)
  • Rules Applying to Registration and Dog Shows (1933-present)
  • Dog Show and Field Trial Rules and Regulations (1884-present)
  • Department Collections – This consists of select AKC departments such as Club Relations, Gazette, and Executive Officer files.

Many of these materials are now available in the AKC’s Digital Collections.

Visual Materials

The Visual Materials group consists of heavily graphics-based collections, including photographs, slides, negatives, and ephemera. The bulk of these collections are win-shot negatives and other dog show imagery taken by leading photographers of the sport.

Vertical Files

The AKC Library has vertical files on various topics and breeds, containing photographs, pedigrees, correspondence, and more. Other special collections present include pamphlets, stamps, bookplates, and scrapbooks.

Comprehensive information and biographical files arranged by subject have been assembled from the AKC Gazette and other publications; these are not exhaustive resources but are supplementary to the existing archival collections.

More detailed description of vertical file contents is an ongoing initiative.

Library Collections

The 18,000-volume library collection may be explored through the online catalog CAIUS

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