Michigan State University Yearbooks
Since 1887, the Michigan State University yearbooks have served as the student body’s record of memory detailing the events of the years and highlighting the on-going campus activities as well as the wider world. Before the first “official” published yearbook, Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.) produced class albums. Unlike yearbooks that include photographs and stories of the academic year, class albums only included photographs of the faculty and students with no text or name indication.
In 1887, the Harrow, the first yearbook at M.A.C. was published. Different from the class albums, the Harrow was mostly text with few photographs. If any photos were included, it was usually the president of the college, select faculty members, and the editors of the Harrow. The text detailed information such as students’ names, lists of faculty members, sport teams rosters, and members of the literary societies. Instead of photographs, there were hand-drawn illustrations. The back of the yearbook featured several pages of humor.
Off and on from 1877 to 1896, class albums, yearbooks, or nothing at all was produced. Finally, in 1900, a format of the yearbook we are familiar with today was published. The Wolverine contained pictures of students and faculty members, along with team and group photos, and humorous stories. Unfortunately, the yearbook was not a financially stable venture. Yearbooks under different names appeared in 1904 and 1907, and finally in 1910, the Wolverine once again returned.
Named for the state of Michigan, the yearbook was originally titled, the Wolverine, but over time, the name did not sit well with students and was thought to be too closely associated with the University of Michigan. The yearbook retained this name until 1975 when in 1976, the Wolverine staff held a contest to select a new name for the yearbook and over 964 entries were submitted. The winning entry of the Red Cedar Log came from Michael Dover, a senior research assistant in entomology.
The Red Cedar Log continued until 1996 when the yearbook production ceased due to a lack of student interest and financial difficulties. A senior edition booklet with only senior pictures and a few campus photos was distributed that year. No yearbook was published in 1997. Finally, in 1998, the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) reestablished the Red Cedar Log and was a success. To help offset the cost, in 2000 a $3 tax was included in each student’s tuition that is used to produce the yearbook. Today, all students can pick up a copy of the Red Cedar Log free of charge.
Please note: not all undergraduate students were photographed; graduate, professional and medical students were excluded from publications.
MSU Yearbook names by year- Class Albums: 1877, 1885-1888, 1890, 1893, 1900
- The Harrow: 1887-1889
- The Heliostat: 1896
- The Wolverine: 1900
- Glück Auf: 1904
- The Jubilee Wolverine: 1907
- The Wolverine: 1910-1975
- The Red Cedar Log: 1976-1992
- Red Cedar Annual: 1993-1995
- Senior Edition: 1996
- The Red Cedar Log: 1998-Present
Coinciding with National Preservation Week, on April 25, 2022, the MSU Libraries Development team launched a campaign to digitize all the MSU yearbooks. Through MSU’s CrowdPower platform, nearly all the money was donated to fund this project. 108 yearbooks were packed and shipped to be digitally scanned while the more fragile, rare, and one-of-a-kind yearbooks were scanned in house.
The units of the library involved in the process of this project were the University Archives and Historical Collections, the Accessibility Team, the Digital Repository Team, and Development.
This digitization project was made possible through the generous support of alumni and friends, many of whom were part of the yearbook staff during their time as students.
Harmful language/images statementDue to their historic nature, some materials may represent ideologies, positions, norms, or values that are not consistent with those of Michigan State University or the MSU Libraries. Some of the materials in our collections contain imagery or language that is prejudiced, damaging, and exclusionary. These perspectives were wrong when these items were created and are wrong today.
AccessibilityWhile the MSU Libraries and Archives strive for accessible collections, most of the yearbooks in this collection were digitized by an outside vendor and are not fully accessible. Files from this vendor have uncorrected/automated Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and basic tags. Several yearbook issues were digitized in-house at the MSU Libraires and are more accessible. These files have corrected OCR, corrected reading order, images with alternative text, tags and major headings.
To request more accessible yearbook files or to provide accessibility feedback, please email: LIB.DL.accessibility@msu.edu.
Digital collections hosted by MSU Libraries Digital Repository are intended to provide accurate and complete representations of information in order to advance the private study and research of students, faculty, and the general public. Due to the nature of archival collections, we are not always able to identify third party rights of privacy, publicity, copyright or trademark. We are eager to hear from any rights owners, so that we may obtain accurate information. Upon request, we’ll temporarily remove material from public view while we address a rights issue. Living individuals whose private information is exposed (or who are acting on behalf of a minor child or an incapacitated parent, spouse, domestic partner or adult child) are welcome to submit a takedown request to archives@msu.edu. All such requests will be reviewed by relevant Michigan State University stakeholders, including but not limited to, Library Administration and the Office of the General Counsel, who may ask for additional information to better understand the issue and its consequences.
Given our commitment to preserving the authenticity and integrity of the scholarly and historical record, it is unlikely that we will correct errors or inaccuracies present in original items; redact digital content or indices; or otherwise remove access to materials except in cases where there are legal concerns (for example, the presence of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protected information), significant risks to privacy (for example, exposed Social Security numbers), or documented evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety and well-being.
Adapted from Tufts University “Takedown Protocol for Sensitive Information in Tufts Archival Research Center.” https://tarc.tufts.edu/research/policies-fees/takedown-protocol-for-sensitive-information-in-tufts-archival-research-center