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Mission

Mission

The Philander Smith College Archives is located on the 2nd floor of the D. W. Reynolds Library building. Although the Archives was established in 1996, it was formally organized in 2003 at the opening of the D. W. Reynolds Library facility. As the "official memory" of the institution, its collections span the entire history of the College, from 1877 to the present. The Archives contains a broad range of materials including a manuscript collection, books, periodicals, maps, newspapers, audiovisual materials and photographs.

The mission of the PSC Archives is to collect, preserve, and make accessible for research use; historical materials received by the College as evidence of its origin, growth, and development. To achieve this goal, the Archives will:

  • Collect, preserve and make accessible PSC official records of permanent administrative, legal, fiscal, historical and intrinsic value; and assist in the preservation of unofficial records, personal papers, and other materials relating to the history of the College
  • Provide adequate facilities for storage and retention of such records
  • Provide information and reference services that will assist the College administration and faculty in the operation of the College
  • Facilitate efficient records management that will assist in the institution’s administration of all active and current files
  • Serve as a permanent repository of PSC materials and other special non-book collections of significant historical/research value, such as the personal papers of its faculty and alumni; their literary and art collections; gifts, mementos, memorabilia and other realia received by the College and such other manuscript and non-book collections as the College may receive from time to time from its benefactors 
  • Promote historical research and scholarship by making available and encouraging the use of its collection by members of the academic community and patrons and friends of the College
  • Enter into cooperative relationships with other archival institutions and historical societies to provide better services and pool resources for the common good of the academic public at large
  • Promote knowledge and understanding of the goals and programs of the Archives and increase awareness and appreciation of its activities through exhibitions, publications of its holdings and activities, seminars and workshops