University Archives & Special Collections (UASC) in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials that reflect the University’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities, including notable collections associated with Dorchester and with the Boston Harbor Islands.
UASC also collects and preserves the history of the University of Massachusetts Boston, as well as historical information about preceding institutions, the Boston Normal School and Boston State College. Additionally, UASC has assumed curatorial responsibility for the archival and manuscript collections acquired by the University's William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences that relate to the study of the Vietnam War.
To carry out its mission, University Archives & Special Collections recognizes a formal commitment to working with, promoting, and assisting community archives in the Greater Boston area through facilitating cross-organization collaboration and access to informational, educational, and practical resources relevant to archival procedures and best practices.
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When: May 22, 2012 | 6:00-7:00 pm
Where: Boston Public Library, Commonwealth Salon, Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02117
This talk is FREE and open to the public.
University Archivist Joanne Riley will present a talk titled "Memories and Mortuary Records: Community Archiving Projects at UMass Boston" in the Commonwealth Salon at the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston Street, Read full article »
On Monday, April 22, 2013, University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston opened an exhibition in the Library's Grossmann Gallery about the history and work of Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo).
The exhibition, titled “Nunca Más”: Niños Desaparecidos en Argentina y Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo Read full article »
Volunteers and contributors at the Lexington Mass. Memories Road Show, March 16, 2013
On Saturday, March 16, 2013, as part of the town's 300th Anniversary Celebration, the Mass. Memories Road Show visited Lexington, Massachusetts, and collected more than 300 photographs and stories from community members about their lives, their families, and their memories of Lexington.
Two hundred and eighty-one community members Read full article »
Foresters Mortuary Records
University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston recently acquired the historical organizational records of the Catholic Association of Foresters, thanks to the efforts of members of The Irish Ancestral Research Association. TIARA rescued the records from consignment to the dumpster and served as able custodian of this collection from 2005 – 2011. To learn more about this collection and to search the Foresters Records, click here.
Digital Collections
Explore the Open Archives Digital Collections of the University of Massachusetts Boston. University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the University's history, as well as materials that reflect the university's urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social action, alternative movements, community organizations and local history related to neighboring communities including the Boston Harbor Islands.
Mass. Memories Road Show
The Mass. Memories Road Show is a state-wide project that documents people, places and events in Massachusetts history through family photographs and stories. In partnership with local organizations, we organize public events to scan family and community photographs and videotape “the stories behind the photos.” The images and video are indexed and incorporated into an online educational database, with more than 3,000 images and hundreds of audio stories collected to date.