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Clark University
Robert H. Goddard
Library

Archives and Special Collections

Puffins in Audubon book

The Clark University Archives and Special Collections at the Robert H. Goddard Library is the repository for approximately 7,000 linear feet of rare books, manuscripts, University records, historical photographs and ephemera, Clark theses and dissertations, and other materials. In addition, we have extensive collections of unique digital materials available online.

Visit Archives and Special Collections for information about collections, finding aids, access to digital collections, visitor information, and policies. Contact archives@clarku.edu for additional information or view our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Gems from the Archives

Clark’s Archives and Special Collections houses approximately 7,000 linear feet of materials. Ranging from books and artifacts to manuscripts and dissertations, the collections capture the essence of Clark and its storied history.
Clark University basketball team
The Archives includes photos of the Clark Cougars men’s basketball team from 1925 to 2003.
Clark Jonas Hall
Postcard depicting Jonas Clark Hall and the Science Building.
Clark classroom in thte 50s - 60s
Students jot down notes while listening to a lecture in the late 1950s or early ’60s.
old corner store, now the site of Annie's Clark brunch
An old corner store, now the site of the famous and beloved Annie’s Clark Brunch.
Buzz Aldrin signed book
This miniature autobiography of Robert Goddard traveled to the moon with astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the 1969 moon landing.
old Clark University library (now Jefferson Hall)
A view of the “Old Library” (now Jefferson Academic Center) prior to the construction of the Robert H. Goddard Library in 1969. The main entrance, which was on Main Street, is now sealed.
Seneca book of philosophy
A 1658 imprint of the works of Seneca published in Amsterdam.
Robert Goddard mini book
The miniature autobiography of Robert H. Goddard, printed and bound in Worcester in 1966.
The Clark pep band
The Clark Pep Band performs a tune in the gymnasium.
Clark University book of hours
The Book of Hours, 1423.
Clark psychology department in 1914
A view from the Psychology Department at Clark in 1914. One of the oldest departments on campus, it was spearheaded by the University’s first president, G. Stanley Hall.
Phillis Wheatley book of poems
“Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” a rare first-edition volume by 18th-century African American poet Phillis Wheatley Peters.
Albert A. Michelson's interferometer
Clark Physics Professor Albert A. Michelson’s interferometer. In 1907, Michelson was the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any science.
clark students playing tug of war across crystal pond
Clark students used to participate in a yearly tug-of-war contest across Crystal Pond. The tradition began in 1909; the photo collage above is from 26 years later, 1935.
Robert Goddard rocket patent
In 1914, Robert Goddard was awarded his first two patents for the rocket apparatus: for a liquid-fuel gun rocket and a multistage step rocket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Archives and Special Collections and the Rare Book Room are located on the first floor of the Goddard Library, off the Academic Commons.

No, you will need to use the materials in the Archives or Rare Book Room. Our materials do not circulate but we are able to digitize some materials and make them available through our website.

Yes. as long as you do not use a flash.

Yes. We charge 25 cents a page for copying.

Yes. The Rare Book Room is available for study but visitors must sign in and may only use a pencil as a writing instrument.

We are not allowed to show the records of someone who is still alive to another person. If the person you are interested in has died, we would need to see some record of that, like an obituary, before showing the materials.

We have most of them. Before the Archives were established in 1972, all theses and dissertations were in the circulating collection of the University library, and some were borrowed and never returned. Because the University has only this one copy, we do not lend out master’s or doctoral theses, and they must be used on site. We also digitize theses and dissertations, when feasible.

Contact Information

Robert H. Goddard Library

Office Location