Welcome!

Thanks to a very generous gift from Linda Lear, member of the Board of Trustees and of the Class of 1962, the dream of creating an expanded Special Collections and Archives that will integrate the functions of Special Collections and the College Archives into one large unit will come true over the summer of 2008. The new Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives will feature a beautiful and large new reading room for researchers with exhibition space for books and artworks; an improved seminar room (the Palmer Room) with audiovisual capability for classes using material from Special Collections and Archives; expanded office and processing areas; and a doubling of the stack space available for storing material, including compact shelving.

The new Lear Center will improve the efficiency of Special Collections and the College Archives, currently on two different floors of the library, by merging their locations. It will make it possible to schedule classes in the Palmer Room and to do research in the new reading room at the same time. The new facility will provide enhanced security as well as improved climate control and preservation of materials.

The construction and renovation project began on the day after Commencement and will continue over the summer. It will be finished in time for the beginning of fall semester classes, thus creating minimal disruption of the academic schedule. The project was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Einhorn, Yaffee, Prescott and the Konover Construction Company is carrying out the work.