Boston Streets Collection

Collection

Call Number: MS102

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Scope and Contents

This collection contains the digital content collected and created for use in the Boston Streets project. Boston Streets: Mapping Directory data was developed by the Digital Collections and Archives, Tufts University, with support from a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional support was provided by Docema, The Bostonian Society, and other anonymous gifts. The Bostonian Society provided more than 3000 images to the project and was also a major partner in developing descriptive cataloging specifications. The collection is comprised of images, maps, and street directories from the years 1762 -- 1980. To view the Boston Streets digital exhibit, please see:

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1848 -- 1960
Creation: 1762 -- 1980

Creator

Digital Collections and Archives (Organization)

Language of Materials

English

Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Please see “Reproductions and Use” on the Digital Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permission to publish.

Biographical / Historical

Tufts Archival Research Center is the Tufts University steward for all archival records and materials of significant and historical relevance to the college.

The collection began as the University Archives, which were incorporated in 1965 by the Tufts University Board of Trustees (Annual Reports 1965-1988). Previously, the position of archivist was loosely created in 1959 as a means of processing and acquiring important university and student records for preservation. This role was filled by Tufts history professor and historian Russell L. Miller, who also wrote the Tufts University history "Light on the Hill." The archives were considered a department of the University Library (known as Eaton and then Wessell at that time), overseen by the College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering.

The university's archives were first kept in Eaton Library, but moved to the Wessell Library building in 1965. Originals of some records were sent to vaults in Ballou Hall for storage. In 1991, due to budget issues, the university archivist was laid off. When the office was reopened in 1997, it was as the University Archives and Special Collections, also located as a department within the Tisch Library.

In July 2001, Digital Collections and Archives (DCA) was created when the University Archives was tasked with developing a Tufts Digital Library. The department moved from the College of Arts, Science and Engineering to the Central Administration, directed by the University Provost. The Special Collections department remained under Tisch Library.

In January 2023, DCA was renamed Tufts Archival Research Center (TARC) to better reflect the mission and services offered by the department.

TARC is currently physically housed in the Tisch Library building.