Collections & Guides

Browse Our Collections

Back of a print by Danny Lyon from his project "The Movement" showing stamps on it from Magnum photos and other directions.
Every print tells a story, including this one from photographer Danny Lyon and his project "The Movement". To learn more about Danny Lyon visit Bleakbeauty.com, or on IG at Dannylyonphotos2. 

The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library is home to many photographs, film/video, audio, and other materials from 1839 to present. The guides below highlight many of our holdings in the Archive of Documentary Arts but are not comprehensive listings of the entire collection.  Use the catalog search on the Rubenstein Library homepage to search materials in all of our collections.

 

Teach with Collections

  • Creating a community: How equitable housing is developed and contested in documentary film, 1950s - present (Features films from the New Day Films digital films collection)

 

Digital Collections

A selection of materials from the Archive of Documentary Arts have been digitized and are available through Duke Digital Collections including materials in the following collections:

Use of digitized collections

Learn more about citations, permissions, and copyright for Rubenstein Library collection materials. If you plan to publish or broadcast images or other materials from the Rubenstein Library that Duke University holds a copyright interest in, it is necessary to obtain a contract for permission for non-exclusive rights from the library.

Request Materials

Register as a researcher and request materials online before visiting the Rubenstein Library Reading Room. Most of our materials are stored off-site and we will need to retrieve them, so please plan ahead. Here's what to know before you arrive.

Accessing Restricted Collections: A number of our collections are tagged with physical or technical restrictions due to the fragility of the original media. They are available to view either on the Digital Repository, or via use copies when requested.

We recognize there are times when viewing the original media is warranted for research. In order to request access to the physical media or to inquire about any restrictions on collections in the Archive of Documentary Arts please email Caitlin Margaret Kelly, curator, at caitlin.kelly@duke.edu, or via phone at 919-681-7963, or you may reach out to J. Andrew Armacost, head of collection development for the Rubenstein Library.