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• Archives & Manuscripts

Archives & Manuscripts

Overview

The Archives is available to staff and members who need historical information to conduct APA business or for other research purposes. As staff time and resources permit, access to Archival materials is also granted to qualified researchers exploring the history of the APA or American psychiatry in general. For nonmembers, please see the APA Archives Access Policy and the Archives Access Request procedures.  Click HERE for an historical overview of the Association. 

The APA Library & Archives was formally established in 1961 with the hiring of the first librarian. The collections date primarily from the mid-20th Century. For example, the records of the APA Council (now the Board of Trustees), established in 1891, are held from 1944 to present. The earlier history of the Association may be found in the "Official Actions" and other relevant sections of The American Journal of Psychiatry and its predecessor, The American Journal of Insanity, which are available from Volume 1 (1844) to present through online subscription to the Psychiatry Legacy Collection. See the fnding aids for APA governance bodies for more detailed information.

In addition to governance records, there are collections from the tenures of two long-serving APA Medical Directors, Walter Barton, M.D. and Melvin Sabshin, M.D., as well as several collections for APA departments and projects. For example, the Archives contains approximately 35 linear feet of materials related to the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders covering the DSM-III and DSM-III-R editions (materials related to more recent editions are still retained as active files by the Office of Research). Earlier editions of the DSM are available via PsychiatryOnline.com. This PowerPoint presentation shows how to access these editions.

Additionally, the Archives houses the manuscripts/personal papers of several prominent 20th Century psychiatrists as well as other influencial mental health advocates. There are also a few small collections related to other organizations such as the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the Association of Mental Health Clergy, and the Washington Psychiatric Society.