College Archives serves as the designated repository for records of the College and select professional work of its faculty and collections that support its curricula.
College Archives provides access to these materials in both physical and digital formats, and collaborates with College faculty to create digital teaching resources in support of Columbia College Chicago curricula.
Critical to our mission is compliance with best practices and technical standards to ensure ongoing preservation of the collections.
Archives & Manuscript Collections:
College Archives collects the official and non-official records produced by its community. College Archives also obtains collections from others whose work or purpose reflect the history of the College, or whose material falls within its collecting policy.
Digital Collections:
College Archives manages a specialized digital library with unique public content developed for the specific needs of the College community including digital archival material and theses.
Exhibits:
College Archives creates, plans, and organizes exhibits, and serves as liaison to group exhibits held within the Library.
Preservation:
College Archives assumes primary responsibility for preventive preservation functions for physical objects held within the College Archives Department and other Library units needing such assistance.
MDID (Teaching Image Collection):
College Archives manages the teaching image database designed to support classroom instruction at Columbia College Chicago whose users are faculty and current students.
College Archives History
The first College Archivist was hired in August 2005, 115 years after the founding of the school, initially working in space carved out of Special Collections where approximately 150 linear feet of College-related material had been collected. In 2006, space was made for the College Archives on the second floor of the Library. In 2008, the College Archives became its own Library department with three full time staff. In 2009, two Library departments, College Archives and Digital Library Services (formerly known as Digital and Media Services), merged into one, now known as College Archives. In 2010, the unit added an Exhibit and Preservation Librarian.
