The University Records tell the story of the University of Massachusetts Amherst as it evolved from a small regional agricultural college into a dynamic and complex university. The motives of its founders, the intellectual pursuits of its faculty, and the changing interests and attitudes of its students and alumni are all part of the Records, but they have broader implications as well for the history of the Commonwealth, documenting topics as diverse as rural life, science and technology, and economic development.
Among the more than 7,000 linear feet in SCUA are the official records of the Chancellors, Presidents, Trustees, and other administrative officers of UMass Amherst, information about the history of its academic departments and student organizations, and about the founding of the campuses at Worcester, Boston, Lowell, and Dartmouth. The records include budgets and financial reports, course catalogs, minutes of the Faculty Senate, yearbooks and student newspapers, theses and dissertations, maps and floor plans, audio-visual materials, miscellaneous memorabilia, and many thousands of photographs.
SCUA offers three indexes to assist researchers in exploring the official records of UMass Amherst:
UMarmotCollections for individual administrators and members of the faculty at UMass Amherst are listed in UMarmot, the on-line guide to SCUA's holdings.
The University Archives welcomes the assistance of the campus community in preserving the memory of UMass Amherst. Our department is interested in documenting all aspects of the University and its unique intellectual climate and history. Of particular interest are:
- Personal, professional, or family papers
- Correspondence from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni
- Diaries, journals, or reminiscences
- Memorabilia from UMass Amherst, Mass. Agricultural College, and Mass. State College
- Histories of departments, centers, institutes, and programs
- Syllabi, selected lectures, and lecture notes
- Records of committees, university organizations, or events
- Unique research materials, such as field notes
- Photographs and artwork.
In most cases, the Department does not accept photocopies, reprints, reading notes, or recent student papers.
To discuss the possibility of archiving your papers with the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, please contact the Head of Special Collections, the Curator of Collections, or the University Archivist.
[ Classified listing of archives ][ Faculty & staff ][ Index to archives ]
