Special Collections

Special Collections at Otis College includes rare books, artists' books, and archival material from the history of the college.

CAUTION! This guide is under construction.
Some pages may look odd and content may be missing. We are working on it!

What is an Archive?

According to the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the term "archive:"

...[R]efers to the permanently valuable records—such as letters, reports, accounts, minute books, draft and final manuscripts, and photographs—of people, businesses, and government. These records are kept because they have continuing value to the creating agency and to other potential users. They are the documentary evidence of past events. They are the facts we use to interpret and understand history. –SAA

For more information, visit the SAA website.

Our Collection

At this time, the contents of our archive do not have a publicly accessible finding aid.

Here is some of what we have:

Photos by students from the 1920s-1930s
Course catalogs and view books from 1918 through the present
Newspaper clippings from the 1930s through the 1950s compiled by alumna Bernice Meier
College promotional material from the 1980s through the present
Commencement and Annual Exhibition programs and brochures
The Ben Maltz Gallery Archive, including exhibition materials, ephemera, images, and administrative documents
View select images through OtisDID (requires Otis SSO credentials)