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Mass. Agricultural College
The Department of Special Collections collects materials of enduring historical and cultural value relating to the history and experience of social change in America, the histories and cultures of New England, and the history of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Our collections are tightly integrated and span all formats, including personal papers and organizational records, books and periodicals, maps, photographs, audio and video recordings, and digital materials of all sorts.
Following in the footsteps of W.E.B. Du Bois, we recognize the inherent interconnectedness of a broad range of issues in social justice and we hope to capture the nuances of the organizational, intellectual, and practical ties that unite the varied struggles for social equality, dignity, and justice. By adopting social change as a primary collecting focus, we hope to move beyond viewing social and political movements in isolation and toward documenting the connections between and among them. Ultimately, we wish to lay the foundation for examining the larger stories of social engagement in America and the broader experience of social change that cannot be understood with reference to any single movement.
A distinguishing feature of the collections in SCUA is our effort to collect “whole lives and whole communities,” to provide a basis for interpreting the background of the persons and organizations we document, their influences, interests, and the communities in which they operate.
Special Collections interests
- Social change and movements for social change
Emphasizing the cross-fertilization between several social movements and centers of activist energy, including peace, social and racial justice, agricultural reform, environmentalism, sustainability, labor activism, gay activism, antinuclear activism, and intentional communities, but branching out to include antifluoridation activism, campaigns for voting rights and clean elections, community and charitable organizations, and the history of revolutionary-era Europe (1789-1848). - African American history and culture
The history of race and ethnicity in America, with particular emphasis on the struggle for racial equality and social justice. - Labor, work, and industry
Organized labor, industrialization, manufacturing, business history, and the experience and culture of labor and working people. - Agriculture, horticulture, botany
Including agricultural science and practice, horticulture, animal husbandry, natural history, organic farming, sustainable living, and heritage breeds. - Literature and the arts
Emphasizing poets and writers, playwrights, and the performing arts in New England. - New England history and culture
The social, political, cultural, intellectual, literary, and economic life, with an emphasis upon western New England. The department houses thousands of books on New England cookery, with a particular emphasis on charitable and community cookbooks and cookbooks and ephemera published by corporations and the food industry. - Cold War Culture
The culture of the Cold War, with an emphasis upon East Germany, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Among other areas, SCUA has a strong interest in the Solidarity movement and in partnership with the DEFA Film Library, in East German cinema and graphic arts. - American Study of Japan
American relations with Japan from the Meiji period to the present. - Protistology
Records of the scholarly study of the protista (protozoans).
University Archives interests
Serving as the memory of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University Archives collects, preserves, and makes available official and non-official records documenting the policies, programs, facilities, and activities of the campus community, including its administration, departments and programs, faculty, and staff. The Archives also avidly collects materials that reflect the lives and experiences of its students and alumni.
