Reading room closure - 12/22/2023

The Archives & Special Collections reading room will be closed Friday, December 22, 2023.

Welcome

The Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College holds over 80,000 books and 11,000 linear feet of archival materi­als. The department houses major collections of Emily Dickinson and Richard Wilbur books and manuscripts, along with one of the largest collections of Native American literature in the United States. It is the official repository for institutional memory of Amherst College, including records pertaining to academic programs and departments, College administration, alumni activities, and student life. The history of Amherst College and the local community is extensively documented through books, manuscripts, photographs, film, and objects. Other strengths of the collections include: natural history, especially ornithology; missionary activity; travel literature; theater history; international politics and diplomacy, and social justice and activism. Read more about our collection development policy.

Learn more in Plan Your Visit, Frequently Asked Questions, and our blog, The Consecrated Eminence.

Featured images from our collections

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Emily Dickinson daguerreotype

The only known photographic image of Emily Dickinson, this daguerreotype was produced circa 1847. It is related to the Emily Dickinson Collection [MA.00167]. Click on the title above for more from the digitized collection.

Collection finding aid
Indian Melodies

Indian Melodies

"By Thomas Commuck, a Narragansett Indian ; harmonized by Thomas Hastings, Esq." This is one example from the Native American Literature Collection. Click on the title above for more digitized holdings.

Olio 1922

The Olio, 1922

Amherst College Digital Collections makes available copies of the student yearbook. Click on the title above for more from the digitized collection.