Historical Collections
Historic Corporate Reports
The Historic Corporate Reports Collection consists of selected original company documents from circa 1820 to the present. Included are annual reports, prospectuses, proxies, registration statements, and miscellaneous items such as brokerage-house reports, charts, and unpublished corporate histories. The collection documents approximately 20,000 companies.
Baker Library's extensive holdings reflect the evolution of the corporate annual report from a rather small publication consisting of a letter to stockholders signed by the chief executive officer and a financial statement in the mid-nineteenth century to the elaborate and lengthy publications that characterize today's published annual reports. Corporate annual reports are among the most valuable documents in understanding the history of a company—its financial situation, its organizational structure, and perhaps, most importantly, how the company chooses to present itself to a wide audience: shareholders, employees, and customers.
Baker Library has one of the largest collections of corporate reports in the world. The Library is committed to maintaining and developing this collection of annual reports and related material in their original paper form.
Locating Materials
Records for this collection are not generally available in HOLLIS.
Historical Collections staff can search for up to 10 company names in an in-house electronic database. Extensive searches (more than 10 company names) can be done for a fee of $25.00 an hour with a two-hour maximum. To request a search, please contact the Historical Collections reference staff.
Other Formats: Digital
Many companies' annual reports (1844-current) are available through searchable PDF images in:
ProQuest Historical Annual Reports
Access:
- HU PIN
- Authorized Baker visitors
Related Resources
Consult Baker Library Corporate Reports for more information concerning the total holdings of corporate reports, both historic and contemporary.
Contact librarians in the Stamps Reading Room for information concerning the collection of historic corporate reports on microfiche and microfilm held in the Microforms Room.
Planning a Visit
If you wish to visit, please notify us as far in advance as possible.
Requests for a large quantity of materials (more than 10 cartons) will result in a service fee.
Services
Contact Historical Collections