Archives and Special Collections collects the papers and records (including born-digital materials) of individuals, student organizations, departments, and offices connected with Mount Holyoke College. All of these materials are preserved and made available as primary resources for research and teaching conducted by students, faculty, and other researchers. Our rich and diverse collections are the result of the thought and effort of generations of loyal alumnae, alumnae's families and friends, faculty, librarians, archivists, and friends of Mount Holyoke. We welcome donations that directly support and complement the history of the College.
The first step in making a donation is to contact Deborah Richards, Director of Archives and Special Collections. She looks forward to discussing what materials you have.
Donating archives
The collections document the academic, administrative, and social history of Mount Holyoke College through the correspondence, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, course materials, annual reports, meeting minutes, and more of students, faculty, and staff.
Each year, these collections are consulted by thousands of researchers from around the world. With the donation of each new collection, we are able to increase the breadth and diversity of our resources to better serve the educational and historical needs of the College and of scholars who are drawn to our collections due to Mount Holyoke's prominent place in the history of women's education. Each donation helps to enlarge the documentation of not only the effect of Mount Holyoke on the world but the effect of individuals on the institution itself.
Below are lists of some types of materials that Archives and Special Collections collects. Please note that these lists are not definitive; there may be other types of documents or records that may have continuing research value. Printed and digital materials are welcome.
Personal papers
- correspondence
- diaries and journals
- scrapbooks
- photographs
- MHC course syllabi
- biographical information
- audio/visual recordings
Institutional and organization records, including class years and student organizations
- articles of incorporation
- by-laws
- annual reports
- class histories
- correspondence
- event flyers and programs
- meeting minutes
- photographs
- planning documents
- press releases
- publications
- reunion books
- audio/visual recordings
Donating rare books
The Rare Books collection serves as a primary resource for teaching and research conducted by students, faculty and other researchers. Donations to this collection, or monetary donations for the purchase of rare books, help us to increase the breadth and depth of our collections and allow us to better support the curricular needs of the College.
The Archives and Special Collections main rare book collections include books written specifically for girl readers between 1830 and 1970; American history; illustrated editions of Dante Alighieri's Divina commedia; 19th-century books that are known to have been used in the courses of study at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary; rare children's books; published works related to the Collège de 'pataphysique; Renaissance science books; and fine press books. Because our collections cover more than these main areas, gifts of books will be considered on an individual basis.
The first step in making a donation is to contact Deborah Richards, Director of Archives and Special Collections. She looks forward to discussing what materials you have.