Ohio University yearbooks have served as the student body's outlet for many years, preserving memories of Athens and its way of life, as well as detailing the events of the year and highlighting students' reactions to the goings-on of campus and the wider world. Additionally, most yearbooks include traditional photos of graduating students, sports teams, and clubs.

Yearbooks were published under the title Athena for the years 1892-1893, 1908-1917, 1919-1968, 1970-1974, and 1984-present. The title was changed to Spectrum Green for the years 1975-1983. There were no yearbooks published for the years 1894-1907, 1918, and 1969.

Yearbooks are held by the Ohio University Archives, located in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections of Ohio University Libraries.

In 2009, a project to bring greater access to the entire span of university yearbooks was a joint undertaking between Ohio University Libraries and the Ohio University Alumni Association.