Archive Collections

Boston State College's roots begin with the Girls High School, founded in 1852. In 1872, the Boston Normal School separated from Girls High School and became an independent institution. The Normal School was renamed the Teachers College of the City of Boston in 1924. In 1952 it became a state college, the State Teachers College at Boston.

There are approximately 6000 titles in the Special Collections. A large portion of the collection is expensive or out of print books on fine arts. The remainder range from a late Aldine edition to video art and is composed mostly of first editions, rare, and finely printed books.

The University of Massachusetts at Boston was established in 1964 as the second campus of the University of Massachusetts system.

Archives and Special Collections has curatorial responsibility for the material acquired by the center as part of its mission to study the effects of the Vietnam War on our society. The collections of archives, manuscripts, photographs, and videos primarily explore veterans' issues and experiences.