Treasures abound at Special Collections

Alexandra Matthews Life Editor

Deep beneath two floors of books, tucked away in the corner of the ground floor of the Library, lies a little-known gem that is home to a multitude of historical treasures: Vassar’s Archives and Special Collections.

Housed in its current location since 2001, Archives and Special Collections is the principle repository for everything from rare books and maps to original documents dealing with the College’s history.

Associate Director of the Libraries for Special Collections Ronald Patkus, along with a team of three staff members and three students, works diligently to catalog archival information and prepare documents for classes or researchers to use. Students, administrators and faculty can all access these documents by making an appointment in advance.

There are, however, rules regarding how these valuable items should be handled. Patkus explained, “It’s not like the main Library where you choose the material you want—you come into our reading room and we get the materials for you. None of our materials can leave Special Collections.”

In addition to helping with research, Archives and Special Collections also creates exhibits featuring interesting or new documents. The most recent exhibit was entitled A Life in Art and Letters: Priscilla Morgan on Vassar alumna Priscilla Morgan ’41 and her life in the arts. Past exhibits also include Elizabeth Bishop: A Growing Legacy, displaying notes of the renowned poet and Vassar alumna, as well as an exhibition of some of Albert Einstein’s original letters.

As for the soon-to-be-received John and Abigail Adams letters, Patkus explained that Special Collections is greatly anticipating their arrival.

“I’m very glad to have this partnership with the Massachusetts Historical Society. This is a real opportunity for the campus and the people outside of the Vassar community to see some really amazing examples of American history. Archives and Special Collections is also going to display some materials from the Vassar College collection that complement these materials,” said Patkus.

To learn more about Special Collections or to peruse the treasures it has to offer, you can set up an appointment. Archives and Special Collections is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.