Library & Technology Services

The Special Collections, located in the Margaret Clapp Library, contains rare books, manuscripts, and limited edition artists’ books. These collections are used heavily in teaching across the curriculum, giving students an opportunity to have hands-on experience with materials that represent the history of the book.

The Wellesley College Archives manages, maintains, and makes accessible the records of the College that have long-term historical value, such as administrative records, manuscripts, photographs, maps, architectural plans, honors theses, and audio/video materials. There are several classes that use the Archives. We are expanding to support digital collections.

Students come to the Book Arts Lab (BAL) to learn and engage in traditional bookmaking practices like letterpress printing and hand bookbinding and to make limited edition items like artist books, posters, and zines for classes and extracurricular projects. The BAL is both a creative arts studio and a book-focused makerspace, and it supports full-semester courses and class visits.

At Wellesley, students have access to the books, journals, and electronic resources that they need to be active participants in scholarship. With over 500,000 circulating items, 2 million ebooks, and 350 scholarly databases across three physical locations, Wellesley College Libraries provide students with the resources to learn and contribute to the academic community and make a difference in the world.

Knapp provides access to cutting-edge tools for media production and fabrication that enable students to bring concepts to life. Students can learn to fly drones, build virtual reality worlds, and 3D print replicas. Our student staff helps with projects including video editing, 3D modeling, and prototype design. We also offer training in new hardware and software skills.

Students can receive support through the Help Desk, the Makerspace, and our three library service desks. Primarily staffed by students, professional staff are also available to help. Librarians and technology specialists are available to help students with research, assignments, and projects.

We use a range of technologies and support both Mac and PCs. In addition to several licensed software used for various classes, students have access to Google tools such as GMail and Drive and use Workday to perform most of the administrative tasks such as registering for classes and declaring majors or minors. LTS has a robust support system through the Helpdesk and we respond fairly quickly and resolve issues.

LTS offers a wide range of student employment opportunities. Our student staff positions allow students to learn a range of important technical and people skills while earning money. Our students staff the Computing Help Desk, Library service desks, Makerspace and classroom support. Students also have the opportunity to work in our Archives, Special Collections, and the Book Arts Lab (BAL).

Wellesley students can earn cash prizes up to $1000 for research projects in our annual Student Library Research Awards program. These awards celebrate outstanding student scholarship that draws on the College's wealth of library resources and demonstrates a scholarly approach to the research process. To date, this program has recognized nearly 100 students in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Clapp Library is the heart of academic life on campus. It houses our special collections, archives, general collections, makerspace, help and library service desks, and more. Clapp Library will reopen in time for the fall 2025 semester.

The art and architecture library collections which provide broad-based coverage of the history, theory, criticism, and practice of the visual arts, are housed in the Art Library, a branch library in the Jewett Arts Center.

The Music Library in the Jewett Arts Center contains a rich and diverse collection of Western classical music, jazz, world music, musical theater, and popular music, for both academic study of music and for performance studies.