Why are there two special collections libraries at Williams College?
The Chapin Library and the Archives and Special Collections Department of the Williams College Library were conceived many years apart, for different purposes. The Chapin Library has grown out of the foundation collection given by Mr. Chapin and is maintained as a separate department of Williams, distinct from the College Library, according to the legal requirements of Mr. Chapin’s deed of gift. The Archives and Special Collections department was formed originally to manage Williamsiana, i.e. materials documenting the history of the College, and later was charged with administering rare books and other special collections held by the College Library. Some of the latter materials were at Williams before the Chapin Library was founded; others came to the College Library because they were felt to be out of the Chapin Library’s scope. However, the two libraries cooperate and consult with each other in many areas, and indeed share working and research spaces.
