Explore our institution’s archival holdings through the WPI ArchivesSpace platform. This site provides researchers with collection guides and inventories that provide information about manuscript collections and university archives files in WPI Archives & Special Collections. The guides describe the origin, context, extent, dates, arrangement and contents of this material, allowing users to identify materials relevant to their research.
Note: With some exceptions, you will not be able to access collection material, like documents or photographs, directly on this platform. Instead, you can use WPI ArchivesSpace to learn about our collections, to decide what archival material you would like to request to access.
Credit: This instruction guide was originally created by University of Colorado Boulder, https://libguides.colorado.edu/c.php?g=1154758&p=8428097
When you use the ArchivesSpace search bar, there are several optional search fields:
| Search all record types, Limit to collection, or Limit to digital materials |
If you choose "Limit to collections," the search will return only a list of collections that contain your search term somewhere in the Finding Aid. If you choose "Limit to digital materials," the search will return only a list of records that contain your search term somewhere in the Finding Aid AND include a link to the digital version of the item. If you choose "Search all record types," the search will also return a list of individual series, boxes, folders, or items that contain your search term in their description, from within any of our collections. |
| Search by: Keyword, Title, Creator, Subject, Notes, Identifier | We recommend searching by Keyword, unless you know specifically which records you're looking for. |
| Limit years | You can limit your search to a range of certain years. However - keep in mind that archival material is often listed according to the date it was created, not necessarily the time period to which it refers. |
When you receive your search results, there are several additional options for filtering the results, on the right of the screen:
| Repository |
You can choose "WPI University Archives" or "WPI Manuscript Collections" to filter results and only view collections belonging to the selected repository. |
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| Type |
The most useful choices under type for users include: "Archival Object" will show you a list of individual series, folders, or items that contain your search term, from within all of our collections. "Person" will filter your results to a list of recorded names "Organization" will filter your results to a list of recorded organizations "Subject" will filter your results to a list of assigned subjects "Digital Record" will filter your results to records that have links to the digital version of the item "Collection" will filter your results to only a list of relevant archival collections. |
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| Subject, Language, Name | To date, we have made efforts to tag items with Subjects, Language, and Names. While some of the records are searchable by using these filters, this is a work in progress and some collection materials may not appear in the results. |
Search results contain a number of information fields:
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Title |
Tile of the collection, series, folder, or item. |
| Type | Just under title, the search result will indicate if it's describing a Collection (as above), Series, File (meaning folder - as below), or Item. |
| Identifier |
For collection records, the result will indicate the collection number (UA or MS:###) assigned by the archive. For archival object records, you may see a string of numbers in the identifier field. In the example below, the file titled "The Man Behind the Rocket" has an identifier of: MS14.01.07.03. If you are interested in making a request to view the item, it is helpful to provide this identifier to the archivist. See the "Troubleshooting" tab above if your search result does not have an Identifier listed. |
| Abstract or Scope/content |
The abstract will give a brief description of this collection, series, folder, or item. However - you may see a description that starts with "From the Collection" or "From the Series." This means that there is not an individual description given for that particular series, folder, or item. In that case, the abstract field will instead show the most specific description available for that material. |
| Dates | Shows the range of dates in which material in this collection, series, folder, or item originated. |
| Found In |
These "breadcrumbs" explain where this record falls in relation to other collections and other archival material. The field will include the name of the Repository and Collection, followed by the name of the Series, Sub-Series, or Folder, if available. In the example below, the file titled "The Man Behind the Rocket" is found in the WPI Manuscript Collections, in the Robert and Esther Goddard Collection (collection MS014), within "Publications." |
Choose a collection record from your search results to see the Finding Aid for that collection. See the "Finding Aid" tab in this guide for more about understanding the parts of a collection Finding Aid.
On the left, the collection page will show Front Matter information for that collection. Be sure to click "Expand all" at the bottom of the collection page to show additional Front Matter information.
The right of the collection page shows an expandable inventory of material within that collection. Use the arrows on the inventory to see the contents of each series or sub-series, as available.
NOTE: If you find a collection record that does not include an inventory, that may mean the collection has not yet been processed by the archive or that inventory information has not yet been added to ArchivesSpace. Contact us at archives@wpi.edu, and we may be able to give you additional information about the collection.
When you click on an archival record - whether series, folder or item - from the search results or from the collection page inventory, you will see a page that describes that object.
From the top, the object page includes:
* Sometimes, rather than a box number, you may see a string of numbers in the identifier field like this: MS14.01.07.03. If you are interested in making a request to view the item, it is helpful to provide this identifier to the archivist. If you do not see a location for this object, see the "Troubleshooting" tab above.
** Often, an individual series, folder, or item does not have its own individual description. In that case, these descriptive fields will refer to the next most specific level of description available, and the description will indicate whether it is "From the Collection" or "From the Series."
1. Use the Citation button at the top of the collection page to see our preferred method of citing material from our collections
2. Use the Printable PDF button to generate a PDF version of the Finding Aid, similar to the detailed outline in the "Finding Aid" view above.
3. Use Collection Organization tab at the top of the collection record page to see a detailed outline of the collection on one page:
4. If you have trouble knowing what to request, you can send us the link to the object record page from your browser when you make your request. Example:
UA01: University Photographs Collection - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/3/resources/12
UA50: University Publications Collection - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/3/resources/4
MS001: Robert D. Fellman Collection on Charles Dickens - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/2/resources/14
MS014: Robert and Esther Goddard Collection - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/2/resources/9
MS077: Morgan Construction Company Records - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/2/resources/68
MS112: Daniel and Alice Ryan Collection on Charles Dickens - archives.wpi.edu/repositories/2/resources/71