Walter P. Reuther Library

Reuther Mission Statement

The Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs is the largest labor archive in North America. Its mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to the documentary and visual heritage of the American labor movement, related reform movements and individual participants. The collection also includes records related to urban affairs, with emphasis on the history of metropolitan Detroit. The Reuther Library is committed to increasing access to archival collections by continuously developing and maintaining digital systems and programs.

The Reuther holds more than 2000 collections related to such topics as union history and working class organizations, African Americans and women in the labor movement, as well as radical, social and political reform movements. Collections also focus on the history of twentieth century Detroit, including such topics as social welfare, health care, politics, civil rights, women's rights and metropolitan Detroit social communities.

The Reuther also houses the archives of Wayne State University. The collection traces Wayne State's growth from the Detroit Medical College in 1868 to its emergence as a world-class research university.