Skip to Main Content

Smith College Archives research resources

Sources in the College Archives for research

Research a Smithie - Online Materials

If you are unable to visit the reading room, there are ways you can find select information online about students who attended Smith. Below we have outlined the most helpful resources to begin your research using digitized materials.
 

Graduation year or years attended
 

  1. Yearbooks
    Classes of 1897 through 1933 completely digitized, as well as select few other years. Visit the College Publications page of this guide to learn how to access these materials.
     
  2. Smith College Curriculum Catalogue
    Through the first several decades of Smith's history, every student who was in attendance was listed by Class each year they attended. This is particularly helpful to find the names of students who did not graduate or switched class years. Visit the College Publications page of this guide to learn about digital access.
     
  3. Class collections
    Class collections (such as Class of 1920) will have pictures from important events for each class (commencement, rally day, sophomore carnival, etc.). Sometimes students will have their own file which may contain photographs or biographical information, and occasionally letters and scrapbooks.
     
  4. Smith Alumnae Quarterly (SAQ)
    Visit the College Publications page of this guide to learn how to access issues of SAQ.


Student Housing

  1. Smith Houses - Very brief overviews of the house histories Information about approved off-campus board houses: Administration of Houses A-Z (1910-1925)
     
  2. This, The House We Live In: The Smith College Campus From 1871 to 1982 by Eleanor T. Lincoln - Brief histories of Smith-affiliated building histories, on and off campus. There is a digitized copy (linked through the catalog record). There are several available through library collections at Smith and the Five Colleges through the library catalog.
     
  3. House records - Each house has a file in the Buildings Records CA-MS-00104. Often there were group photographs taken of all of the residents.
     
  4. Smith College Curriculum Catalogue
    In earlier catalogues, student houses for the academic year were listed. Visit the College Publications page of this guide to learn about digital access.