Urvashi Vaid was born in New Dehli, India; moved to Potsdam, NY in 1966 at 6 years old; moved to Boston in 1979; and then moved to Provincetown, MA in the early 1990s. Fields of study at Vassar: political science, English. Current occupation: Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at Columbia
Urvashi Vaid was born in New Dehli, India; moved to Potsdam, NY in 1966 at 6 years old; moved to Boston in 1979; and then moved to Provincetown, MA in the early 1990s. Fields of study at Vassar: political science, English. Current occupation: Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at Columbia
Urvashi Vaid was born in New Dehli, India; moved to Potsdam, NY in 1966 at 6 years old; moved to Boston in 1979; and then moved to Provincetown, MA in the early 1990s. Fields of study at Vassar: political science, English. Current occupation: Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at Columbia
The interviews in this collection are a result of the projects by students in Vassar College's "ANTH/AFRS 386: Situating Blackness" course in Spring 2015. The course encouraged students to explore the meanings of blackness (and raced identity categories) as lived experience at Vassar College and
The Images of Early Vassar collection consists of materials relating to the early history of Vassar College, from its founding in 1861 to the early years of the 20th century. The images provide visual documentation of Raymond Avenue, college buildings and buildings relating to Matthew Vassar, class
The Vassar LGBTQ Oral History Project is a partnership between the LGBTQ Center, the Women's Studies Program and the Vassar College Archives that began in the fall of 2012. The goal of the project is to capture the experiences, stories, and reflections of LGBTQ and ally alumnae/i as well as former
Vassar College Library was built in 1905, the architecture and the style of the building is perpendicular Gothic, with many embellishments. Among those embellishments are approximately thirty-six gargoyles and grotesques. Gargoyles are decorative water-bearing fixtures meant to redirect rainwater
The Memorial Minutes collection consists of short biographical pieces from Vassar faculty members, read in their honor at faculty meetings from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection includes biographical information from many notable people in Vassar history, including George
The Vassar Songs collection features volumes from 1881-1915, and a special seventy-fifth anniversary book from 1940.
The Student Diaries collection provides access to more than fifty diaries from Vassar students from the nineteenth century. The diaries concern life on campus, other students, classes, relationships with their professors, vacations, family news, and other subjects; some volumes have short entries
The Student Letters collection contains letters from Vassar students primarily during the nineteenth century. The letters were written by students to family, friends, and Vassar faculty, with some letters received by students from family and friends, concerning life at Vassar, their studies, social
The Student Photo Album collection contains material from Vassar students primarily during the nineteenth century.
The Student Scrapbooks collection provides access to scrapbooks from Vassar students from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students include Adelaide Claflin Mansfield, 1893-1897; Anne Southworth Wyman, 1878-1932; Caroline Barnes Ross, 1901-1906, Elizabeth French Babbott, 1910-1912
The original collection of books that comprised the library when Vassar College opened its doors in 1865 was the gift of Matthew Vassar. He donated between 3,000 and 4,000 volumes from his personal library and purchased an additional 1,000 from Elias Magoon, one of the college's first trustees
1 letter from Warner to her sister Helen Warner, 1 letter to Soror, 7 letters to her brother Will, 2 letters to her father, 60 letters to her mother, 1 letter to both parents, 11 letters to her sister. She writes about her academics (including astronomy, gymnastics, botany, and archery) and the
Major: independent major, Ethnic Studies; current occupation/field: law. This interview was conducted as part of Spring 2013 Women's Studies Class (WMST 219), "Queering the Archives."
Here you will find digitized archival collections, oral histories, and more. We are continually expanding the collections and improving access. You may find additional digital resources that reside outside the digital library here, and a selection of Online Exhibitions here.
Collections Overview
The Archives & Special Collections Library is part of the Vassar College Libraries system. It holds the rare book, manuscript, and archival collections of the college. It collects, preserves, and makes available rare and unique collections, and also engages in teaching and outreach activities. This collection of finding aids describe items in both the Virginia B. Smith Memorial Manuscript Collection and the College Archives.
The Vassar College herbarium holds over 8,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, and algae. Holdings are primarily from northeastern North America, and include collections made by several notable 19th century botanists. To learn more about this project visit the website here.
Vassar College's institutional repository reflects the research and scholarly output of the Vassar College community. It provides access to senior theses, peer reviewed open access articles, and projects from a wide range of disciplines.