About The Archives
Mission | Scope of the Collection | Access and Use | Reproduction and Permissions
Mission
The mission of the Wellesley College Archives is:
1. to collect, preserve and make available materials concerning the history of Wellesley College, regardless of media or format.
2. to collect, preserve and make available personal and professional papers of alumnae when those papers support the academic mission of Wellesley College.
3. to provide facilities for the retention, preservation and use of these materials.
4. to formulate policies and procedures that will ensure the collection, preservation and access of the College’s archival materials, including the official records of Wellesley College.
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Scope of the Collection
You may access a limited number of online finding aids for processed collections.
The Wellesley College Archives collects the records of administrative and institutional offices, academic departments and programs, and student organizations. The Archives collects supplemental materials when they document the history of Wellesley College. The Archives collects the papers of alumnae and faculty when those papers support the academic mission of Wellesley College.
Examples of institutional records collected by the Archives include:
- Records of major administrative offices
- Publications, including catalogs, publicity and prospective materials
- Annual reports
- Memoranda
- Committee reports
- Budget materials
- Curricular materials
- Blueprints and plans
- Student newspapers
- Yearbooks
Examples of supplemental materials collected by the Archives include:
- Honors theses written by Wellesley College students
- Published monographs and articles by Wellesley College faculty and alumnae
- Letters written by or received by Wellesley students
- Diaries written by Wellesley students
- Scrapbooks created by Wellesley students
- Albums created by Wellesley students
- Documents and other materials created by associated organizations, such as Wellesley College alumnae clubs
More specific information regarding donation of alumnae materials can be found here.
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Access and Use
The Archives are open to all--Wellesley College affiliation is not required.
Visitors are asked to contact the Archives prior to visiting, as the Archives is frequently closed during normal operating hours.
Because space in the Archives is limited, classes or other groups which wish to use the collections must contact the Archivist at least two days in advance to arrange the details of such use.
For Wellesley society visits, the society president or historian must meet with the Assistant Archivist, Jane Callahan, prior to scheduling.
Photocopies or Reproductions
Selected copies of items in the Archives collections may be made if the items will not be damaged by such copying. We reserve the right to limit the number of copies made for any patron. Individuals requesting copies of materials from the Archives collections will be charged for the cost of producing the copy. They also may be charged a permissions or licensing fee .
Requests for permission to publish or otherwise distribute copies or other facsimiles of items from Archives collections should be directed to the Archivist.
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