What is the Archives & Special Collections department?
Answer
The Archives & Special Collections is a department within the library. Our mission is to collect, preserve, and provide access to physical and digital historical materials in three different categories:
- Institutional records that contain the historical documents and objects of Emerson College, including affiliated organizations and student groups.
- Non-Emerson special collections that focus on subjects related to the College's curricula, including journalism, theater, and film.
- The American Comedy Archives, which is composed of collections that document the professional activities of groundbreaking individuals who have written, produced, directed, and/or performed comedy on radio, television, motion pictures, or for live performance.
Our goal is to make these materials as widely available as possible. We do this through providing course instruction, working with students on assignments, creating physical and digital exhibits, participating in campus events, and providing appointments and research services. While our primary focus is to provide these services for the Emerson Community, we also welcome outside researchers from around the world.
If you are interested in learning more about the department, please contact us at archives@emerson.edu or 617-824-8301.