The Samuel C. Williams Library’s Archives and Special Collections (ASC) offers a vast selection of books, artifacts, and records accessible to students. Split into two parts, the ASC includes the University Archives and the Special Collections. The University Archives are a record of the history of Stevens from its founding in 1870 through the present, while The Special Collections is a trove of rare books, essential artifacts, works of art, and other historically significant items. These collections do not specifically record Stevens’ history, focusing on the history of the Stevens family, Hoboken, and the local area.
The mission of ASC, as stated on its webpage, is “to engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the local and global community with primary sources and historic artifacts. Our objective is to instill a sense of pride and knowledge about Stevens and its rich heritage and legacy, which includes the history of the Stevens family.” However, while ASC is devoted to preserving and sharing Stevens’ history, it is just as devoted and interested in recording the future history of Stevens or how the future community members of Stevens will look back at our current moment in history.
One way ASC does this is by allowing open access to their collections. The Stute spoke with Leah Loscutoff, the head of ASC. She emphasized that the collections are an excellent resource for students, faculty, and other interested parties. They range from all of the commencements of Stevens in the past, artifacts representing Stevens’ involvement in world events like World War I, and collections specific for influential alums of Stevens like Frederick Winslow Taylor, who revolutionized industrial efficiency and became the face of scientific management. Individuals interested in exploring the collections—whether for a class, personal interest, or research—can schedule an appointment to visit the archives. There are also online portions of many collections that are viewable via the ASC website.
Beyond inviting the world to learn from the collections and use them to create new history, ASC continually updates its collections. It does this through the “Voices of Castle Point” series. “Voices of Castle Point” is an oral history collection where individuals of historical interest—those who lived through history, are experts in their fields or have unique stories to tell—are interviewed and then immortalized in the ASC. “Voices of Castle Point” is one way students can become involved in ASC and preserve Stevens’ history. Loscutoff explained how students can be interviewers. ASC is always interested in recording more of Stevens’ history. Possible example interviews could be of the first women who attended Stevens and recorded reactions of students who witnessed the September 11 attacks while attending the university.
ASC at Stevens is a valuable resource for students, faculty, staff, alums, and the local and global community. The ASC offers an extensive collection of books, artifacts, and records accessible to students, with the University Archives recording the history of Stevens and the Special Collections exploring a broader scope of history. The ASC’s mission is to engage individuals with primary sources and historical artifacts, instilling a sense of pride and knowledge about Stevens and its rich heritage and legacy. As ASC invites the world to learn from the collections, it inspires the creation of new history that ASC will preserve for future generations.
