Strategic Collecting Direction

The University and Beyond

The rich and storied history of Brown University, from its founding in 1764 through the present day, is preserved in the University Archives and Manuscripts. The Hay’s strategic direction The University and Beyond augments the robust and growing collections of institutional records and student life by tracing the unique and enduring global imprint of the University’s programs, faculty, and alumni. Brown prioritizes independent thought, innovative collaboration, and active global citizenry so that the knowledge it generates has purposeful application in the world. The University Archives strives to document the transformative impact on global scholarship and culture by intellectual and creative production at Brown. Areas of reputation for the University are its seven Nobel laureates (physical sciences and economics), Semiotics and electronic arts, theatre and performance, and social justice.

Strategic growth

The University Archives will also purposefully build faculty and alumni collections that align with the University’s mission and with the Hay’s strategic collecting directions. In accordance with Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University, emphasis will be placed on building collections that reflect Brown’s increasingly diverse and inclusive community as a vital dimension of academic excellence at Brown. Collaboration with academic centers will be an important catalyst for collections, especially in terms of material that documents the University’s legacy and academic exploration of issues like slavery and justice. The University Archives will also cultivate deep and enduring relationships with student and alumni organizations to ensure that their legacy is preserved for future generations.

Collections as Data

Brown University faculty and students produce important sets of data across many disciplines during their research. We will build on the datasets already contributed to the Brown Digital Repository and actively seek additions that inform inquiry in the other Strategic Collecting Directions.

The University and Beyond Anchor Collections

Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers: The Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers date from the petition for a charter in 1763 to the change of name from Rhode Island College to Brown University in 1804. The collection documents the grant from the General Assembly and the Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island for the establishment of a college; the early history of the College’s Corporation; the appropriation of financial support; the absence of religious requirements; students; the college library; and the impact of the Revolution on the College. The list of supplies and expenses (The College to Nicholas Brown & Co., Dr.: 1770–1771) used to build the College Edifice (University Hall) documents the work of enslaved people and Native Americans.

Sarah Doyle Women’s Center for Women and Gender records, Pembroke Center Archives: Collection materials document the history of various groups and initiatives at Brown between 1970 and 1992. Groups documented include the Greenlight Network, Third World Women’s Affairs, Women’s Escort Service, and the Women’s Political Task Force. The records document campus activism regarding abortion, LGBTQ sexual health, and South African Divestiture.

Ray Lorenzo Heffner papers: Heffner was university president from 1966 to 1969, a period of intense social change, student unrest, and student political activity on campuses. Some of the topics documented in the collection include the 1968 Student Walkout, establishment of an Afro-American Studies concentration, implementation of the New Curriculum, changes to the status of Naval and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the role of the university in governing student conduct. President Heffner’s papers document co-educational dormitories and urban sprawl from the city campus.

William Gerald McLoughlin papers: Throughout his teaching career at Brown University (1954–1992), McLoughlin was an active and vocal participant professionally and personally in all of the issues and events during those years: freedom of speech, civil rights, racial equality, gender equality (Louise Lamphere sex discrimination case), nuclear energy, improving the Providence education system, the Vietnam War, divestment from South Africa, and US intervention in Nicaragua during the 1980s. His papers are particularly useful for studying the changes in America and their effects at Brown University during his tenure. McLoughlin’s papers include his extensive research on the Cherokee Indian Nation and Native Americans in general. He focused particularly on the influence of Christian missionaries on the life of the Cherokees and their struggle to remain an independent sovereign nation.

Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship records: Brown University established the Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship (IRIS), to explore new uses of computing technology in research, teaching and learning. To address the needs of today’s “idea workers,” IRIS worked to develop a rich set of experimental tools that provide people with new ways to create, retrieve and organize information. The Institute’s most important accomplishment was the creation of Intermedia, an advanced hypertext system. The project’s main purpose was to design a set of computer-based tools that would enable instructors to create software for teaching and research, and then have students use these tools as a supplement to their other coursework. IRIS was founded by Andries van Dam, William S. Shipp, and Norman Meyrowitz in August 1983 and closed its doors in June 1994.