Archives Services and Collections

The Archives is open to faculty, staff, students, and outside researchers Monday through Friday, 9:00 am–4:00 pm by appointment only. Not all collections are open to research. Listed below are some of the collections available to researchers. Click on the highlighted text for more information about our Special Collections or the American Comedy Archives.

Historical Information about Emerson College

The Archives provides information and access to primary resources about significant individuals and events that shaped the development of the College since its founding in October 1880.

A historical timeline of Emerson College

College Publications

The Archives provides access to publications of the College, including the Emerson College Catalogue (1880–present); the Emersonian Yearbook (1908–present); the Berkeley Beacon (1947–present); the Student Handbook (1950–present); and numerous student literary and humorous publications.

Photograph Collection

Access to the Archives photograph collection is provided through the Photofile Index located in the Archives (120 Boylston Street, Second Floor). The Photograph Collection includes more than 5,000 prints and almost 50,000 negatives that provide visual documentation of College events and the activities of students, faculty, alumni, and administrative staff from 1880 to the 2000s, with the majority of images dating from 1960 to the 1990s.

Videotape Collection

The Videotape Collection includes more than 500 VHS and U-matic recordings of College events such as Commencement, Southwick Recitals, and Performing Arts productions. The collection also includes oral history interviews with former faculty and students, EVVY Awards, and selected E.I.V. programming. Some of the collection is cataloged in our online catalog. Videotapes from the Archives collection may be viewed at the Archives (120 Boylston Street, Second Floor) during normal business hours (M–F, 9:00 am–4:00 pm).

Graduate Thesis Production Projects

Graduate Thesis Production Projects are thesis alternates produced on videotape or audiotape in partial fulfillment of the master's degree requirements at Emerson College. The Archives has collected and provided access to the nonprint component of these projects since 1985. These tapes do not circulate and are not available for duplication. They may be viewed in the Archives by appointment. The print component, normally a production book, is shelved with the Thesis Collection in the Library.

For further information about the collections and services of the Emerson College Archives, please contact Christina Zamon, Head of Archives and Special Collections, at 617-824-8679.