Nichols College Archives
The Nichols College Archives, located on the first floor of the library building, maintains College-related material of historical importance. 
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Requests for assistance should be directed to the Curator, Jim Douglas (508) 213-2333.
Researchers can view a List of Holdings (MS Word) (Please be patient, this could take a minute to load.)
Included among the many record series are material concerning:
- the College's founding (including its predecessors, Nichols Academy, Nichols Junior College, and Nichols College of Business Administration); descriptions of the College and its buildings
- photographs
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faculty, staff, student, and alumni publications (including Senior Theses campus newspapers and literary publications, student yearbooks, scrapbooks, records of athletic competition, student organizations and activities) - administrative reports and general records
- papers and correspondence of Presidents, faculty and alumni
- minutes and reports of the Board of Trustees.
The Archives also house: some 300 books, c. 1809 - 1920, from Nichols Academy's early library collection; financial records from the H. Conant Real Estate Company; and the Goodell Collection (sermons and published works of Methodist clergyman and author, Charles L. Goodell [1854 - 1937]).
A number of images and items from the Nichols College Archives are now available as part of the Central and Western Massachusetts' ‘Digital Treasures' [http://dlib.cwmars.org/]. ‘Digital Treasures' is a cooperative digital library project conceived and designed by the Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing library network and the Central and Western Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.
Nichols College History Project
The Nichols College History Project, which began two years ago, is progressing well according to the Director, Dr. James L. Conrad, Professor Emeritus. Dr. Conrad has finished the first part of the College's history, "Nichols Academy: 'The Spring on the Hill,' 1815-1931." The second part on Nichols College is now underway in preparation for Nichols' 200th Anniversary in 2015.
As part of the Project, Dr. Conrad has prepared a questionnaire intended to survey alumni as to the most memorable and significant events during their time on the Hill and what they see as important changes since then. Questionnaires are being sent by mail between September 2006 and February 2007.
If you would like to respond online the Nichols College History Project Alumni Questionnaire is available here.
Nichols added to Council of Independent College's Historic Campus Architecture Project
In 2003, Dr. Jim Conrad, Trustee and Professor of History, emeritus, compiled documentation on Nichols College to submit to the Council of Independent College's (CIC) Survey of Historic Architecture and Design. CIC has made this information available at the website, Historic Campus Architecture Project. The website documents nearly 2,000 campus sites of historical significance.
On this site, web users can find institutions or places in a particular state or region; seek information about a specific type of architecture, designer, or time period; or gather data for future research. You can do a 'Quick Search' using the name 'Nichols College.' From the results page you can then view details, brief narratives, and pictures for various structures on campus.
