Visit the Research a Smithie page in this guide for information on finding materials in College Archives.
Alumnae may have collections in the Sophia Smith Collection if they donated their papers regarding their professional life. Examples include the Madeleine L’Engle, and Anne Morrow Lindbergh papers.
Archival Collections
Alumnae, faculty, and staff may have collections in the Mortimer Rare Book Collection if they donated their papers regarding their professional life. Examples include the Ann M. Martin papers and then Newton Arvin papers.
Rare Book Collections
Some alumnae, faculty, and staff collected books that are now part of the Mortimer Rare Book Collection. Search their name in catalog, choosing "SC Special Collections" as the location. They are often listed under "Other Author(s)".
Examples:
Sally Taft Duplaix Collection (Sally Taft Duplaix, attended 1954-1956)
Robert and Judith Raymo Chaucer Collection at Smith College (Judith Raymo ’53)
Many faculty and staff have individual files or even their own collections of papers in the College Archives. You can begin by searching their name in the finding aids.
Files: Faculty and staff biographical files
Examples of individual collections for faculty and staff: Alice Ambrose Lazerowitz and Morris Lazerowitz papers or the Margaret Storrs Grierson papers
Departmental records can include courses taught, syllabi, faculty notes on classes, and more.
Departments could have a single file in the Academic Departments records or a separate collection. Search "Department Records" in the finding aid for a full list.
Academic Departments records (Individual files for different academic departments)
Examples of department records collections:
Department of Exercise and Sport Studies records
List of courses taught at Smith. Provides information about courses taught, sometimes the list of students by class, graduate assistant positions, and other information. Visit the College Publications page of this guide for information on accessing digitized issues.
Each president has their own "Office of the President" files. Includes information about faculty, courses, events, etc.
Example: Office of President William Allan Neilson Files
The Smith Alumnae Quarterly (SAQ) was established in 1909 and is published by College Relations four times each year. They include life updates submitted by alumnae, class notes, obituaries, reports on campus events (such as commencement), plus articles about alumnae, faculty, and more. Visit the College Publications page of this guide for information on accessing digitized issues.
The Presidents Reports are publications from the president of the college about the state of the college and happenings on campus. Fewer reports are published starting around the 1970's. Visit the College Publications page of this guide for information on accessing digitized issues.
Faculty, and staff may have collections in the Sophia Smith Collection if they donated their papers regarding their professional life. Example: Dorothy Wrinch papers
Faculty, and staff may have collections in the Mortimer Rare Book Collection if they donated their papers regarding their professional life. Example: Newton Arvin papers.
Some faculty, and staff collected books that are now part of the Mortimer Rare Book Collection. Search their name in catalog, choosing "SC Special Collections" as the location. They are often listed under "Other Author(s)".
A great place to start for learning about buildings on campus from 1871-1982 is This, The House We Live In: The Smith College Campus From 1871 to 1982 by Eleanor Terry Lincoln and John Abel Pinto. The book includes brief histories of Smith-affiliated buildings on and off campus. There is a digitized copy (linked through the catalog record). There are also several copies at Smith in the general stacks and the Five Colleges through the library catalog.
The Buildings records focus on the College's buildings, both existing and demolished. The collection includes information not only about the buildings themselves, but also about what occurred / occurs in the buildings, especially student houses and the students that lived in them.
The Grounds subject files contain materials describing the history of the campus as a botanic garden and the changes to the master plan, lists of plantings and specimen placement, as well as information regarding the physical features of the campus, such as Paradise Pond, and structures and memorial pieces such as the Grecourt Gates and Lanning fountain
The Presidents Reports are publications from the president of the college about the state of the college and happenings on campus, including construction and buildings updates. Fewer reports are published starting around the 1970's.
The collections below are good places to start for less specific inquiries:
The Office of Student Affairs helps students access a variety of services, programs, and activities across campus. Its records contain files on housing, budgets, residence life, student activities and organizations, as well as Associate Dean material, international and exchange student material, photo albums and general office files.
Individual organizations and clubs could have a file in the Student Clubs and Organizations records or their own individual collections that can be found by searching the finding aid.
Includes information about student athletes, coaches, and other staff.
Visit the College Publications page of this guide for information on accessing digitized issues.
Undergraduate life records contains papers related to student clothes and fashions (news clippings, photographs); distinct groups (informational files on foreign students, minorities, Ada Comstock Scholars, including pamphlets, correspondence, photographs, newsletters, organization); and student government (includes Council and House minutes, course critiques, SGA records).
Archival records kept for each graduating class. They include photographs and materials from class-specific student events, some individual students, and reunions.
Search for "Class of XXXX". For example, "Class of 1902" would be part of Classes of 1901-1910 records
The degree to which folders contain information varies. For some special days, the only recognition of its existence is the presence of the folders, perhaps containing as little as a single photograph or a single event program. In such case, the Sophian may be a good place to look for further information.