Research Guides: Digital Collections at Bryn Mawr College: College Archives

Finding Aids and Guides for Archives Collections

Much of the material in the college archives has not been digitized. However, online guides and finding aids for these materials are available. In addition, a complete selection of paper finding aids, guides and indexes are available in Special Collections on the second floor of Canaday Library.

Using Digitized Archival Collections

Archival collections include administrative records, publications, and photographs pertaining to the history of the college. Items can be found in several online repositories, so here are some tips to help you choose where to view and search these collections:

TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections allows searching across collections including full-text of multiple volumes at once. It's a good place to start if you're not quite sure what you're looking for.
The Internet Archive offers an elegant screen reader and the ability to search easily within individual volumes, but it does not allow you to search full-text across volumes. It's a good place to start if you know the exact item you are looking for (e.g. the 1935 yearbook).
Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work at Bryn Mawr College (BMC Repository) allows you to search BMC materials and also across materials from hundreds of institutions that use the Digital Commons Repository software. Items in the BMC Repository also show up on search engine results and it allows for easy downloading of items in PDF form.

Alumnae Association

Annual Reports of the Alumnae Assocation of Bryn Mawr College (Internet Archive)
Annual reports from 1892-1905, preceded the Alumnae Bulletin/Alumnae Quarterly.
Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletins (Internet Archive)
Alumnae Bulletins and Alumnae Quarterly from 1907-1940.
Bryn Mawr Alumnae Publications (BMC Repository)

Annual Reports of the President

Annual Reports of the President of Bryn Mawr College (BMC Repository)
Annual Reports of the President of Bryn Mawr College (Internet Archive)
Reports in 11 volumes, 1884-1971.

College Calendars, Catalogs and Programs

Bryn Mawr College Calendars (BMC Repository)
Bryn Mawr College Calendars (Internet Archive)
College calendars (catalogs) from 1908-2008. See also College Programs for the earliest course listings and information about the college

College Publications

Bryn Mawr College Publications (BMC Repository)
Bryn Mawr College Publications (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
Bryn Mawr College Publications contains a variety of publications produced by the College over the years. These include informational booklets about various collections and college history as well as books of entrance examinations and other archival materials.

Images, Maps, Emphemera

Bryn Mawr College Photo Archives (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
This collection includes photographs, slides, transparencies, and negatives depicting the history of Bryn Mawr College from the mid 1800s to the late 1990s. Images depict individuals associated with the College, including faculty, staff, students, and alumnae/i; historical and current College buildings and campus landscapes; events, including commencement, sports, plays, and traditions; and group photographs. The majority of the images are black-and-white, though there are some color images from the late 1960s through the 1990s. Early photographic formats include cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, cyanotypes, and photomechanical prints.
Bryn Mawr College Campus Maps (Triptych)
A collection of early and later maps of the Bryn Mawr College Campus, many of which are scanned from campus publications.
Bryn Mawr College Postcards (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
This collection primarily includes postcards depicting the Bryn Mawr College campus and individual buildings, though some also show traditions and events like May Day or Lantern Night.

Scrapbooks, Photo Albums and Diaries

Bryn Mawr College Scrapbook and Photo Album Collection (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
This collection contains scrapbooks and photograph albums assembled by Bryn Mawr College alumnae/i, focusing on their years at Bryn Mawr College. The scrapbooks contain personal memorabilia, such as letters and cards, programs, photographs, newspaper clippings, souvenirs from dances and dinners, and college traditions material. Poems, drawings, and notes from friends give a distinctive perspective into daily life at Bryn Mawr College. Each scrapbook is unique and gives the reader an impression of the author, her era, and Bryn Mawr College.
Mary Whitall Worthington Papers (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
Mary Whitall Worthington (d. 1912) was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College class of 1910 and the president of the Bryn Mawr chapter of the Woman’s Equal Suffrage League. She was the niece of the College’s second president, M. Carey Thomas. After graduating from Bryn Mawr, Worthington attended Johns Hopkins Medical School but died as the result of congenital heart failure in January 1912. This collection primarily includes Worthington’s diaries, covering her time at Bryn Mawr College and her first year of medical school at Johns Hopkins University and interspersed with photographs, correspondence, and ephemera. They are extensive and eloquent reflections on Worthington’s life as a young woman attending college in the early 20th century. The collection also includes Worthington’s notes, a speech written for a Suffrage League meeting, and a handwritten play.
Frances Arnold Family Letters (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
Scrapbook of letters written by Frances Arnold, Bryn Mawr College Class of 1897, to her parents and cousin, written from Bryn Mawr and during Arnold's travel to France, Germany and Italy, ca. 1893-1897. Note that to date, the scrapbook is loaded with no additional transcription or description at the page level. It is uploaded for browsing only and it not full-text searchable.

Student Newspapers and Literary Magazines

Counterpoint (Internet Archive)
Student literary magazine of Bryn Mawr College, 1948-1955. Related titles include Fortnightly Philistine, The Lantern, Tipyn O'Bob, The Title.
Fortnightly Philistine (Internet Archive)
Bryn Mawr College student literary magazine. See also The Lantern, Tipyn O'Bob, Counterpoint, The Title.
The Lantern (Internet Archive)
Bryn Mawr College Literary Magazine, Volumes 1-23, 1891-1944. See also Fortnightly Philistine, Tipyn O'Bob, The Title, Counterpoint.
Tipyn O'Bob (Internet Archive)
Bryn Mawr College literary magazine student publication, Volumes 1-16, 1903-1918. Other titles include The Lantern, Fortnightly Philistine, Counterpoint, The Title.
The Title (Internet Archive)
Bryn Mawr College student literary magazine, 1944-1948. Other student publication titles include Fortnightly Philistine, The Lantern, Tipyn O'Bob, Counterpoint.

Yearbooks

Bryn Mawr College Yearbooks (TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections)
Bryn Mawr College yearbooks through 1949.