Archives Collections and Resources

The Central Piedmont Archives includes administrative and historical records pertaining to the Board of Trustees, Central Piedmont Foundation, College Senate, College Cabinet, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Student Life, Carver College, Mecklenburg College, Central High School, Central Industrial Education Center, and WTVI. Other collections housed in the Central Piedmont Archives include the Presidential Papers Collection, College Publications Collection, Theater Collection, and Photographs Collection. The Archives staff is working on organizing, inventorying, and digitizing these records for reference and research.

Digital Collections

Our digital archive database, powered by CONTENTdm, connects you to digitized versions of historical resources held in the Central Piedmont Archives. Please note, the Archives department continues to add materials to this database as they become available.

View Digital Collections

Digital Exhibits

Archives staff curate digital exhibits as a way to connect our community with our resources without having to visit the Central Campus. These exhibits provide you with the opportunity to view materials from across collections that help to form a narrative of the story being told. We will create and add digital exhibits as we continue to organize and digitize materials. 

Visit Digital Exhibits

Finding Aids

How to Read a Finding Aid (Collection Guide)

Finding aids are inventories that describe collection contents in greater detail. The sections of a finding aid are broken down into six parts:

• Collection Overview
• Biographical/Historical Note
• Scope and Content Notes
• Subject Terms
• Citation
• Collection Inventory

For a more detailed explanation of each section, please visit our Collection Guides.

Administrative Records Finding Aids

Administrative records are materials that document the daily operations of the college. They include meeting minutes, correspondence, plans and guidebooks, and occasional photographs. The following collections are available for research in our Collections Guide portal (ArchivesSpace). 

• Records of the Board of Trustees of Central Piedmont Community College (CPA.001) — includes meeting minutes, reports, correspondence, and financial records
• College Cabinet Records (CPA.005) — includes meeting agendas and summaries, reports, correspondence, and financial records
• College Catalogs (1965-Present) — a collection of our college catalogs that have been digitized by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
• College Senate Records (CPA.006) — includes meeting minutes, reports, memorandums, publications, and course and curriculum proposals

Historical Records Finding Aids

Historical records are materials that document the non-administrative aspects of the college. These include materials such as publications, photographs, artifacts/ephemeral materials, audio/video materials, and yearbooks. The following historical records in the Central Piedmont Archives are available for research. 

• Carver & Mecklenburg Colleges Collection (CPA.032) — a collection of records documenting the activities of Carver College, later known as Mecklenburg College; the school was merged with the Central Industrial Education Center in 1963 to form Central Piedmont
• Central Industrial Education Center Collection (CPA.033) — an artificial collection of materials related to the North Carolina Industrial Education Centers and the Central Industrial Education Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
• 25th Anniversary Time Capsule Collection (CPA.034) — items selected by Central Piedmont faculty, staff, and students; buried in May 1988 in celebration of the school’s 25th anniversary
• College Publications Collection, 1965-2005 (CPA.035) — an artificial collection of student and faculty news publications
• Central Piedmont Foundation Collection (CPA.002) — includes photographs from campus openings, employee appreciation ceremonies, and other Foundation-related events as well as printed materials, books, audio/visual materials, and textile artifacts
• Central Piedmont History Room Collection (CPA.030) — a collection of news publications, scrapbooks, administrative files, photographs, and oral history interviews compiled and organized by Central Piedmont's first historian, Raymond V. Mason, and Carol Timblin (author of "CPCC: The First 30 Years")

NC Digital Heritage Center

To research all materials hosted by Digital NC that have been tagged to Central Piedmont, visit NC Digital Heritage.

Resources available through Digital NC include:

• Carver College/CIEC Collection (correspondence, yearbooks, administrative files, library planning documents, course catalogs and schedules, and more).
• Central High School yearbooks
• Central Piedmont Dental Hygiene Program yearbooks (1969–75)
• Central Piedmont History Scrapbooks (1940–80; 36 scrapbooks total)
• Central Piedmont Course Catalogs (1965–2015)

Additional Resources

• Central Piedmont Archives InfoGuides
• Central Piedmont Library - History Database LibGuide — a collection of various history databases compiled by Central Piedmont librarians
• Central Piedmont Library Catalog 
• Purdue Owl: Introduction to Archives — includes guidelines for visiting archives and requesting/handling materials, as well as suggestions and advice for citing archival resources
• North Carolina Digital Collections — contains over 90,000 historic and recent photographs, state government publications, manuscripts, and other resources on topics related to North Carolina
• J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections — includes materials documenting the history and culture of UNC Charlotte and our region
• Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library — the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, a department in the Main Library, houses historical and current information on Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and North Carolina, including genealogical resources from all fifty states