Special Collections & Archives

The ongoing demolition of the 1954 wing of the Public Affairs Center (PAC) yielded a touch of history on Sept. 17 when crews unearthed a time capsule sealed into the concrete entry slab on the east side of the building. A demolition contractor found a partially damaged copper box that had been encased in concrete. The outside of the box was green and brown with oxidation and dirt, but the inside retained its original bright sheen and color. This particular contractor had seen time capsules on other building projects and knew what he was dealing with. (more…)

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the Wesleyan community in a myriad of ways from student life to research to the way we teach and learn. This spring, Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives, along with Academic Affairs, are hoping to build a historical record—and preserve for posterity—the stories, memories, messages, and creative works of the University's students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Postcards from a Pandemic Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives has launched a "Postcards from a Pandemic" project, which aims to help future students and researchers understand what it was like to be a member of the Wesleyan community during…

On Aug. 18, Wesleyan faculty, staff, and alumni presented a WESeminar titled "Hidden Treasures." The seminar focused on the holdings of the Dietrich American Foundation on long-term loan at Wesleyan, which includes letters, writings, and manuscripts by Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, among others. All documents are available to Wesleyan students and faculty through Wesleyan's Special Collections and Archives. "One of the hallmarks of the experience of studying at a liberal arts college is the opportunity to interact directly with material objects of the past—documents, rare books, artworks, cultural objects—in ways that are often only reserved for graduate…

On April 13, Wesleyan’s Special Collections & Archives launched a new project asking the Wesleyan community for personal reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic. University Archivist Amanda Nelson introduced the project by saying, “It’s clear that we are all living and making history right now. As an archivist, I am always interested in recording these efforts so that . . . later, with the benefit of hindsight, [they can] give us and future generations of Wesleyan the ability to reflect on and learn from them.” Here, Nelson provides more insight into how the project came about and how the Wesleyan community…

From fish fossils to film memorabilia to 1880s Arguses to Korean zithers, Wesleyan University is home to thousands of artifacts and teaching tools that are available through a multitude of collections. Learn more about some of Wesleyan's major collections below, as they are among the best of Wes! Schedule your visit today! THE ODGEN AND MARY LOUISE REID CINEMA ARCHIVES (website): THE JOE WEBB PEOPLES MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS (website): (more…)

Wesleyan's Special Collections and Archives is now home to a robust collection of novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett's letters and books. The memorabilia was donated to Wesleyan by Beckett's longtime friend Jay Levy ’60, Hon. ’96, and his wife, Sharon. On Oct. 24, Levy joined Samuel Beckett scholar Lois More Overbeck; President Michael Roth ’78; Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian at Wesleyan Andrew White; Professor of Theater Ron Jenkins; and Assistant Professor of French Michael Meere for a symposium titled "Homage to Samuel Beckett." The event, held in Olin Library's Smith Reading Room and attended by students, faculty, friends, and…

In honor of Constitution Day, Special Collections and Archives hosted a pop-up exhibit inside the Davison Rare Book Room in Olin Library on Sept. 19. The exhibit featured early versions of the US Constitution, Federalist papers, the Connecticut State Constitution, and original letters by Founding Fathers George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. Photos of the exhibit are below: (Photos by Nick Sng '23) (more…)

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Special Collections & Archives hosted "A Reading of Documentary Nonfiction and Poetry" on May 13. Each student in the "Creative Criticism and Inquiry: Writing Documentary Nonfiction and Poetry" course chose an archival collection from the holdings of Special Collections & Archives and wrote a creative piece inspired by the collection. The class was taught by Teagle Fellow Kate Thorpe. "The results are wonderful examples of thinking outside the box of traditional archival research," said Suzy Taraba, director of Special Collections & Archives. "The collections chosen range from Civil War letters to the Hewlett Diversity Archive." A selection of the archival…

Leith Johnson was hired as Olin Library's new university archivist and he will begin the new position on May 14. Johnson is returning to Wesleyan from the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Conn. where he holds the position of multimedia archivist. From 2007 to 2009, he was the project archivist for the William Manchester Papers in Wesleyan's Special Collections and Archives, and he was the associate curator (later co-curator) of Wesleyan’s Cinema Archives from 1990 to 2007. Johnson holds a M.L.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and a M.A. in history, Certificate in Public History and Archival Management, and…

67-Year-Old Time Capsule Discovered during PAC Renovation

Share Your Wesleyan COVID-19 Experiences, Creative Works

Documents by Hamilton, Washington Explored during “Hidden Treasures” WESeminar

SC&A Launches New Collection of Pandemic-Related Reflections

Best of Wes: 11 Collections at Wesleyan

Gift of Beckett Letters by Levy ’60 Inspires Homage Symposium

Special Collections and Archives Celebrates Constitution Day with Pop-Up Exhibit

French Students Offer a Glimpse of Wesleyan’s History

Media and Power in Latin America Course Concludes with Pop-Up Exhibit

Class Explores Korean Missionary Archival Materials at Special Collections & Archives

Students Share Creative Writings Based on Wesleyan’s Collections

Johnson Hired as New University Archivist