Special Collections & College Archives

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Special Collections & College Archives is home to over 200 manuscript, art, and artifact collections of national and global scope; 20,000 rare book titles, including incunabula and other early imprints; and the historical records of the College dating from its conception by the citizens of Easton in 1824 to the present day. Our librarians and archivists collaborate with faculty to offer hands-on, experiential classroom instruction and we are dedicated to expanding our collections in areas that offer multi-voiced, inclusive perspectives and support the Lafayette College curriculum. Faculty, students, staff, and researchers are welcome to consult our collections in our reading room on the second floor of Skillman Library. To enhance access to our rich and varied collections, we have digitized many historical photographs, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other unique materials. The majority of these collections are freely available online for public access.

Reading Room hours, by appointment: Monday – Thursday, 10:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 4:30pm. Closed Fridays. To schedule a visit, please email archives@lafayette.edu.

Consultations with staff are also available remotely. Please contact us directly with any research questions, concerns, or comments at archives@lafayette.edu.

To schedule a class session, please contact us two weeks in advance at archives@lafayette.edu.

Digital Collections & Exhibits

To enhance access to their rich and varied collections, Special Collections & College Archives have digitized historical photographs, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other unique materials. The majority of these collections are freely available online for public access.

Web Exhibits & Resources

Special Collections & College Archives content is available through online exhibits and websites.

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College Archives Digital Resources

Explore the history of Lafayette College through a variety of online resources.

Rare Books

Lafayette's rare book holdings of some 20,000 volumes include incunabula—among them the magnificent Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493—and other early imprints reflecting the development of printing during the hand-press period (ca. 1450-1800).

Manuscripts, Art & Artifacts

The College houses approximately two hundred manuscript, art, and artifact collections of national scope. Holdings relate to the Marquis de Lafayette; Lafayette College faculty and alumni; and American artists, politicians, and businesses of note.

College Archives

The College Archives documents the history of Lafayette College from its conception by the citizens of Easton in 1824 to the present day and preserves the administrative records, audio visual materials, photographs, and objects associated with the institution.

Queer Archives Project Digital Humanities Site

The QAP digital humanities project is a timeline-based Scalar site shaped around the dynamic interface among oral history interviews, related archival materials and emergent scholarship and research. Structured through themes generated by the oral histories, the digital humanities project offers an innovative, multi-dimensional platform from which to learn about Queer history, conduct scholarship, and share research. Lafayette students are working side by side with faculty, digital scholarship services specialists and archivists to conceptualize, develop and create the site.

Welcome: Queer Past, Queer Futures...

Available for streaming...

Lafayette College Football Films: 1960-62

Exhibits

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Sep 12, 2024

Protected: Lafayette Libraries Special Collections & College Archives Collection Development Strategy

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Lafayette College partners with Archive-It to collect, preserve, and provide access to our institutional web presence through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, a digital archive of the World Wide Web.

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