Archives and Special Collections
Collection Overview
Archives and Special Collections collect, preserve and make accessible evidence of Mount Holyoke College. The collection includes more than 9,000 linear feet of unpublished manuscript materials and 11,000 published volumes. We collect the official non-current records of the College; papers of individuals associated with the Mount Holyoke including alumnae, faculty and others; papers of early educators; and records of numerous organizations. The rare book collection reflects the curriculum of Mount Holyoke over time. It spans the history of print culture and includes fragments of papyri, books bound in vellum, an example of incunabula as well as contemporary fine press and artists books. Particular strengths of the rare book collection are Renaissance science, children’s literature, American colonial history, and Dante’s Divina commedia. As a whole, the archives at Mount Holyoke offers our users significant access to the history of the higher education of women.