Geothermal Work Outside Neilson Library Through May 9

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	(4/27) Sunday
Alumnae Gymnasium	24 Hours
Compass Café	11am - 9pm
Hillyer Art Library	1pm - 11pm
Josten Performing Arts Library	1pm - 11pm
Neilson Library	10am - 12am
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Special Collections Reading Room	Closed

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Smith College Special Collections

Researchers working in the Special Collections reading room

Imagine a place where every form of human communication and storytelling exist; where world-renowned women's history collections make visible the historically marginalized; where your curiosity, discovery, and scholarship flourish. Welcome to Smith College Special Collections.

Start here to explore our three repositories, the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History, the Mortimer Rare Book Collection, and the College Archives.

Search the Collections

Search Special Collections

Search tools, how to find materials, digitized content, and research guides.

Materials in the Smith College Special Collections

Special Collections Finding Aids

Records describing the archives and manuscripts found at Smith College.

Materials in Smith College Special Collections

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Search Discover for rare books, college publications, and other archival material

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Special Collections Reading Room, Neilson Library 4th floor

Visit Special Collections

The Gloria Steinem '56 Reading Room is open to everyone.

See information about visiting Special Collections

Discover Our Collections

College Archives

Explore the many narratives of Smith College, with an emphasis on its vibrant undergraduate life.

Smith College yearbooks in Special Collections, College Archives

Mortimer Rare Book Collection

View printed books and manuscripts, and study the original papers and drafts of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.

Student working with a rare book in the Special Collections reading room.

Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History

Access diverse stories of people who have advocated for women and other gender minorities.

Buttons from the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History

Special Collections Services

Digitization & Use

Digitization requests, fees & payment, permissions & copyright, attribution

Students making a Victory Garden between Library and Burton Hall, 1943. Photograph by Fred G. Chase, Northampton, MA.

Class Instruction

Schedule a class visit to Special Collections

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Research Fellowships

Travel grants and fellowships for Smith and visiting researchers

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About Special Collections

Mission, Vision & Values

Mission, Vision, and Value statements of Smith College Special Collections

Panoramic view of Special Collections Reading Room, Neilson Library

Collection Development Strategy

Collection development policy and what we collect

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Special Collections Staff & Contacts

Special Collections staff members and contact information

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News & Highlights

News and highlights from Smith College Special Collections

Materials from Special Collections

Donating Oral Histories

Information for donors of oral histories to Special Collections.

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Special Collections FAQs

Frequently asked questions about Special Collections

Students in the Special Collections Reading Room

Support Special Collections

Support Special Collections through financial contributions or donations of collections and materials.

Support Special Collections Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowships

Contact Special Collections

Neilson Library
7 Neilson Drive
Northampton, MA 01063

Staff & Contacts

Visit Special Collections

Phone: 413-585-2970 Email: specialcollections@smith.edu