Mission Statement


The Barnard College Archives serves as the final repository for the permanent historical records of Barnard College from its founding in 1889 to the present day. Its primary purpose is to document the history of the College and to provide source material to administrators, alumnae, students, faculty, and other members of the Barnard College community, as well as to scholars, authors, and outside researchers. The Archives is an educational resource that encourages scholarly research in its collections.

The mission of the Barnard College Archives is as follows:

  1. To select and preserve records that document and provide evidence of the College's mission or have information about the activities, people, and events associated with the College's administrative and academic offices and departments, faculty, student and alumnae organizations, and other supporters of the College.
  2. To maintain a manuscripts collection for papers which are not created in the official execution of the purpose of the College but which are related to the College in some way, e.g., faculty members', administrators', or alumnae's private papers which record professional activities.
  3. To appraise, accession, arrange, describe, make available, and preserve records transferred to the Archives.
  4. To provide adequate facilities for the retention and preservation of such records.
  5. To safeguard the collection's physical security and conform to all legal requirements and professional standards. 
  6. To promote knowledge and understanding of the origins, history, development, programs, and goals of the College.
  7. To promote and encourage the use of the Archives in order to raise awareness and improve knowledge of Barnard College's origins, history, development, and contributions to the higher education of women.
  8. To provide information services that will assist the operations of the College.
  9. To assist and advise departments toward implementing records management by formulating policies and procedures that will ensure the proper collection and preservation of archival materials.