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What Are Archives and How Do They Differ from Libraries?

Libraries in towns (public libraries) or universities (academic libraries) can generally be defined as “collections of books and/or other print or nonprint materials organized and maintained for use.” Patrons of those libraries can access materials at the library, via the Internet, or by checking them out for home use. Libraries exist to make their collections available to the people they serve.

Archives also exist to make their collections available to people, but differ from libraries in both the types of materials they hold, and the way materials are accessed.

  • Types of Materials: Archives can hold both published and unpublished materials, and those materials can be in any format. Some examples are manuscripts, letters, photographs, moving image and sound materials, artwork, books, diaries, artifacts, and the digital equivalents of all of these things. Materials in an archives are often unique, specialized, or rare objects, meaning very few of them exist in the world, or they are the only ones of their kind.

Examples of archival materials include: letters written by Abraham Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois), Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural drawings (Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York), photographs documenting the construction of the Panama Canal (Transportation History Collection, University of Michigan Special Collections), and video footage from I Love Lucy television episodes (the Paley Center for Media, New York and Los Angeles).

  • Access to Materials: Since materials in archival collections are unique, the people (archivists) in charge of caring for those materials strive to preserve them for use today, and for future generations of researchers. Archives have specific guidelines for how people may use collections (which will be discussed later in this guide) to protect the materials from physical damage and theft, keeping them and their content accessible for posterity.

Example: Checking out a book from a library causes it to eventually wear out, and then the library buys a new copy of the same book. Checking out the handwritten diary of a historic figure from an archives would cause the same physical deterioration, but the diary is irreplaceable.

Note that there is a great deal of overlap between archives and libraries. An archives may have library as part of its name, or an archives may be a department within a library.

For more information see the Society of American Archivists Page titled "What are Archives"

 

What does an Archivist do?

Archivists hold professional positions requiring adherence to national and international standards of practice and conduct in accordance with a professional code of ethics. The majority of professional archivists hold a baccalaureate degree, and many have one or more advanced degrees related to the profession.

Assess: Not every record has enduring value, and archivists don’t keep every record that comes their way. Instead, archivists select records, a process that requires an understanding of the historical context in which the records were created, the uses for which they were intended, and their relationships to other sources.

Collect and Organize: Archivists arrange and describe the collection of records, in accordance with national and international standards of practice.

Preserve: Because materials in archival collections are unique, specialized, or rare, archivists strive to protect records from physical damage and theft so that they can be used today and in the future. Increasingly archivists play a key role in ensuring that digital records, which may quickly grow obsolete, will be available when needed in the future.

Provide Access: Archivists identify the essential evidence of our society and ensure its availability for use by students, teachers, researchers, organization leaders, historians, and a wide range of individuals with information needs. Many archivists also plan and direct exhibitions, publications, and other outreach programs to broaden the use of collections, helping people find and understand the information they need.

For more information see the Society of American Archivists Page "About Archives"

What kinds of things does MassArt have in their Archive?

The Massachusetts College of Art and Design Archives is the primary repository for the institutional records of the College. The goal of the Archive is to document the faculty, students, and academic programs at the College.  The Archive contains records (paper, electronic and visual), created in the course of College history from 1873 to the present that have permanent historical value in documenting programs, decisions, and individuals at MassArt. Some items include: social justice poster collections, shoes, a Lays Stax can, manuscripts and publications created in the course of College history from 1873 to present.

Materials Collected include:

  • Administrative files: Correspondence, meeting minutes, committee files (including Board of Trustees and Governance) and memoranda (both incoming and outgoing) and operational records concerning projects, activities and functions of the College at the institutional level.
  • Academic files: Programmatic records and Master’s Theses.
  • Architectural drawings: Including various architectural renderings, site plans; drawings of mechanical, structural and electrical systems, and "As-Builts."
  • Audiovisual material
  • College publications: Includes newsletters, yearbooks, student handbooks, Annual Reports, journals, brochures, exhibition catalogs, programs and posters.
  • Memorabilia: Including scrapbooks.
  • Photographic material: Includes unique prints, negatives, slides, and digital files relating to professional work or personal research.
  • Faculty Papers: The Archive will selectively collect personal and professional papers of faculty and faculty emeritus whose careers were substantial at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, including correspondence and other records relating to research, teaching, professional affiliations and personal life.
  • Alumni Papers: As with faculty papers, the Archive collects selectively in the area of MassArt alumni papers. The archive will also be selective when collecting books from alumni.

Personal Papers, Rare Publications and Other Textual Materials

Total about 500 cubic feet. They include records and publications of the college (1873-), the alumni association (1890-), and student groups (1903-), as well as student and faculty sketchbooks and notebooks (1875-), publications and devices created by alumnus and faculty member Albert Munsell (1901-1918), architectural plans and drawings (1880-), hundreds of photographs of student, faculty, studios, and art work  (1880-), a 90,000-image pictorial reference file (1930-1970), the records of the Boston Lettering Arts Guild, papers of alumna and faculty member Muriel Cooper, student scrapbooks (1882-), fabric samples, films, videotapes, audiotapes.

Works of Art

Include samples of student and faculty work, notably 109 examination drawings exhibited by the college at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, plaster casts of classical sculpture, WPA-commissioned photographs, murals and stained-glass windows, and works by well-known American artists. Among those, many represent alumni/ae and faculty: a portrait of college founder Walter Smith by Robert Vonnoh, sculptures by Cyrus Dallin and Raymond Porter, drawings by Ernest L. Major, prints and paintings by Lawrence Kupferman, photographs by William Wegman, glass by Dan Dailey, posters by Jacqueline Casey and members of Boston's Graphic Workshop, early design work and business and academic papers of Muriel Cooper, and Albert Pettito's drawings and models for the helmet now used by the U.S. Armed Services.   A collection of more than 300 artists’ books includes works by Robert Rauschenberg and Ed Ruscha.  Other works include books and prints by Josef Albers, prints by Leonard Baskin, and photographs by Paul Strand, George Tice, Harold Edgerton, and James Nachtwey.

For additional information on the history of MassArt please see the MassArt History Research Guide

What is a finding aid?

Finding aids, are descriptive inventories of archival collections. Because archival collections are unique and cannot be replaced they are stored in secure areas which are not available for browsing.  Finding aids make it possible for researchers to see what is in each collection.

For further information please see Purdue University's guide on how to read a finding aid

What finding aids are available in the MassArt Archive?

Can I look at everything online?

No. The MassArt Archive is working to digitize collections and make them available online, however, right now only a small portion of the collections are available online.  This is for several reasons:

  • Digitizing materials and adding metadata so that those items are discoverable is very time consuming.  The Digital Commonwealth assists with digitization; however, they will only accept one project per institution per year.  Even with unlimited resources it would still take years to make all the materials in the Archive available digitally.
  • Digitized materials take up a lot of server space.

What resources are available online?

  • A collection of campus Life photographs, 1875-1979 is available via the Digital Commonwealth
    • The Digital Commonwealth is a non-profit collaborative organization, founded in 2006, that provides resources and services to support the creation, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage materials held by Massachusetts libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives.
  • All of our yearbooks (1917-2006, bulk 1924-1972), course catalogs (1875-2012), student handbooks (1929-1999) and student newspapers (1903-2018) are available via the Internet Archive
    • Tip for using the Internet Archive: If you do want to keyword search for anything please note that if you are conducting a search yourself on the Internet Archive please use the search bar on the left (and click "text contents" not "metadata contents") and not the one on the top of the webpage for results from MassArt (if you use the search bar on the top it opens up the search to all of the holdings on the Internet Archive not only MassArt).  

Access

  • The MassArt Archive is open Monday-Friday 8-3:30 during the academic year and is located in the Morton R. Godine Library on the 13th floor of Tower.
    • An appointment is recommended but not required.
  • Many books, serials, and pamphlets are cataloged with the call number prefix "ARCHIVES" and are described in the library catalog
  • Theses: The library has a rich collection of theses produced by the graduate programs: Art Education, DMI, and Architecture. Browse and search for copies of MassArt theses online 
  • For assistance, please email Archivist Danielle Sangalang: dsangalang@massart.edu  or 617.879.7105.

Can I bring my class to the Archive?

Yes!  I am happy to customize an informational session around your class!

Can you help me with family history/genealogy research?

While there are resources MassArt Archive that may occasionally prove useful for genealogical research, the Archive’s primary focus is not genealogical records.  Depending on what dates your relative attended MassArt there are many different resources available.

  • Student Enrollment Cards, 1873-1940
  • Yearbooks
  • Commencement Programs
  • List of students involved in World War I

Birth, death, and marriage records are found at the New England Historic Genealogical Society