About Us

Reading Room — Hours of Operation:

Monday – Friday 9:30am–noon, 1pm-3:30pm
CLOSED Saturday, Sunday, & all University Holidays
To schedule a research appointment, contact Kristen Chinery

Campus Map and Parking

http://parking.wayne.edu/
This page includes a full detail interactive parking map.

Mission, Vision, and Values Statements

The Reuther Library's mission, vision, and values statements are available at Mission, Vision, and Values Statements - Full.

A brief history of the Reuther Library

The Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs was established as the Labor History Archives at Wayne State University in 1960, with the goal of collecting and preserving original source materials relating to the development of the American labor movement. In 1975, the Walter P. Reuther Library was constructed with funds given to Wayne State University by the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, and through a supplementary grant from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A later gift from the UAW funded the construction of the library's Leonard Woodcock Wing, completed in 1991.

The Reuther Library is the largest labor archives in North America and is home to the collections of numerous unions and labor-related organizations. Its collection strengths extend to the political and community life of urban and metropolitan Detroit, the civil rights movement in Michigan and nationally, and women's struggles in the workplace. The Reuther Library is also the home of the Wayne State University Archives, established by the Board of Governors in 1958 in recognition of the importance and permanent value of the University's official files, records, and documents.

Planning your research visit

The collections housed in the Reuther Library are freely open to the public. Appointments are not required; however, it is recommended that patrons traveling from out-of-town contact the Reference Archivist in advance at reutherreference@wayne.edu.

Before visiting the Reuther Library's Reading Room, patrons are encouraged to search for collection material related to their topic. When accessing image galleries or digital collections, note the photo ID or unique identifier if further assistance is required.

Patrons seeking secondary source material external to the Reuther's collections about Detroit-related subjects may wish to consult Thomas Klug's Detroit Bibliography.

Reuther Library Collection Policy

The Reuther Library collects and facilitates access to historical documentary evidence in order to inspire academic research, serve the information needs of the community, and build knowledge at Wayne State University. Information about donating collection material is available in the Reuther Library Collection Policy.

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