What is the North Adams Archives?
The North Adams Archives is an open, online archive of historical artifacts gathered from the North Adams, MA, community. It began in 2018 when the North Adams Public Library, the North Adams Historical Society, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), and people throughout North Adams teamed up to collect and digitize their local history in a local History Harvest. Students at the college collected and digitized items that people donated and created an online archive and exhibits to make that history available to the public. Since then, the History Harvest expanded to include other local organizations, like the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The MCLA Library has also made its digital collections available on the online archive.
Students in Dr. Ely Janis's HIST 290: Historical Methods and Theory collected the items in the November 3, 2018, History Harvest at the North Adams Public Library. Students in Dr. Amanda Kleintop's HIST 320-20: Intro to Public History created this online archive for the November 2018 History Harvest and future events.
If you are interested in hosting your own History Harvest or working with the North Adams Archives, please contact Dr. Ely Janis at ely.janis@mcla.edu
The North Adams History Harvest and Archive is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
