Services
Colby College Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives provides a robust archives education program, on-site research assistance, and Special Collections tours and exhibitions. Our services are personalized to match the needs of Colby faculty, students, alumni, and visitors.
Faculty Services
Special Collections & Archives has an active archives education program that connects our unique materials to Colby’s curriculum and supports faculty teaching and student learning.
To make an appointment to discuss teaching possibilities, please email Erin Rhodes, Archives Education Librarian.
Our JSTOR collections for Special Collections and the College Archives contain digitized and born digital images, A/V, and documents.
Digital Commons contains a searchable collection of outstanding student work, faculty scholarship, college records, campus history, and the unique materials of the Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives.
Special Collections staff members are happy to assist faculty and staff with research projects, questions, and reference requests. We provide individual research consultations in person, by phone, or by e-mail.
Student Services
Special Collections is the repository for Colby’s rare books, literary manuscripts, and college archives. Our rich and deeply interconnected collections span seven centuries and feature an extensive range of two- and three-dimensional formats.
We strongly encourage and support individual and group student research using our fascinating materials, which provide opportunities for original scholarship.
Our Special Collections staff members are happy to provide students with individualized research and reference assistance for class assignments, papers, or projects.
Special Collections is closed stacks only, and our materials do not circulate. If you find a book in the catalog or are interested in our unpublished materials or the college archives, please stop in to consult these materials in our reading room.
Available for students during Special Collections open hours in our reading rooms.
Search, view, and print articles from The Colby Echo, Colby’s student newspaper. Coverage currently includes all issues from the paper’s inception in 1877.
Our JSTOR collections for Special Collections and the College Archives contain digitized and born digital images, A/V, and documents.
Special Collections & Archives employs student workers who are curious about archival work and have an interest in our materials. If you are interested in working with us, please check Workday for any available positions.
Visiting Researcher Services
Special Collections welcomes visiting researchers to Colby to explore our collections.
If our holdings contain materials relevant to your research and you would like to visit, please contact us to discuss the nature of your research and the types of materials you would like to see. Many of our finding aids and collection descriptions are available online; however, many collections are not represented, so please do not hesitate to contact us so we can better assist you.
In most cases it will be necessary to visit us in person. Due to our robust teaching program, we require visiting researchers to schedule their visits with us to ensure our availability to accommodate all aspects of their visit. Potential visitors should contact us at [email protected].
When planning your visit, please note that we are open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Logan Airport (Boston) and Portland (Maine) International Jetport are the airports most often used to get to Colby. Bus service to central Maine is available from both airports.
Local accommodation options are listed here.
Alumni Services
Special Collections & Archives staff members are happy to assist Colby College alumni with research questions and reference requests. We provide individual research consultations in person, by phone, or by e-mail.
Special Collections is involved in many alumni events, including Reunion Weekend in June and Family Homecoming Weekend in October. We also collaborate on with campus partners for milestone events such as athletics and student organizations’ anniversaries.
Alumni may be interested in the College Archives (Formerly known as “Colbiana”), which comprise the historical records of the College from 1813 to the present. The archives includes a vast amount of materials and records in all formats, including administrative and curricular policy documents, information on student life and customs, and other materials documenting Colby’s story. There are complete runs of the Board of Trustees minutes, the Colby Echo (also available online), the Alumnus/Colby Magazine, and the Oracle.
We have an extensive collection of files documenting the lives of alumni, administrators, faculty, staff, and honorary degree recipients, as well as an extensive collection of photographs, many of which are available online.
We welcome and encourage alumni to donate materials related to their college experience at Colby. These materials enhance and strengthen our collections, complement our existing materials, help tell the story of the College, and are often used in teaching current students about Colby in our archival labs. If you have materials that you would like to donate to the College Archives, please contact the College Archivist.
Retiring Colby Faculty and Staff
Do you have physical and/or digital materials related to your work at Colby? The College Archives serves as a repository for the personal papers of faculty, administrators, staff, and alumni. We collect materials and collections created by Colby faculty and staff during the course of their careers; materials can be related to your department and/or your career.
Some examples of materials of interest:
- Professional materials, including correspondence, biographical, research materials, syllabi and teaching materials; professional activities
- Department and college-wide records, including correspondence, memos, syllabi and curriculum materials, reports, event materials, committee materials, maps/blueprints, and newsletters/publications. Note: some of these materials may be considered departmental/administrative materials rather than personal professional materials, and may fall under a separate transfer policy.
- Audio/visual materials, including photographs/images, negatives, film, audio and video recordings
- Personal materials, including correspondence, diaries/journals, scrapbooks, photographs/images, manuscripts/typescripts, art originals, specimens, and artifacts/objects
We welcome materials in both physical and digital formats.
Materials can be re-organized after donation. College Archives staff are available to discuss selecting appropriate materials, packing techniques, preferred digital formats, and transfer of materials.
All donations require a completed Deed of Gift form.
Download the Deed of Gift Form
Please do not hesitate to contact Katie Donahue, College Archivist, Special Collections & Archives (x5121) for assistance with your donation.