Home Page

Notice! Temporary construction will delay requests from offsite storage starting April 2, 2025 and lasting approximately 8 weeks. During this period, we must have at least 8 days notice in order to retrieve material from offsite storage. Please plan accordingly and request material in advance. Contact us at [email protected] or 413-597-4200 with any questions.

The Weber Special Collections Reading Room is currently open to all researchers. While we welcome you to stop by without an appointment during our open hours, advance notice will allow us to prepare material for your use. Search for books and other single items in the library catalog using the search bar above. More detailed guides to archival collections can be searched on ArchivesSpace. Please contact us with questions and information about your research plans.

The Special Collections Department advances the mission of Williams College by connecting rare books, manuscripts, and organizational records to teaching, research, and creative expression. The College Archives documents the widest possible range of experiences that inform the history of Williams. The Chapin Library collects books, manuscripts, and other primary sources from antiquity to the present, as a foundation of learning for the Williams liberal arts curriculum.

Researchers may use our material, consisting of almost 100,000 volumes, over 17,000 linear feet of archives and manuscripts, and material in other formats, in the Weber Special Collections Reading Room on the 4th floor of Sawyer Library. We welcome you to contact us to arrange a visit.