Mills College historical photographs, 1865-1922

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Summary

Creators:
F.W. Olin Library, Northeastern University (Oakland)
Abstract:
This digital collection consists of items selected from the F.W. Olin Library's photograph collection that depict Mills College's early history. The photographs were selected from the three categories that are represented in the collection: buildings, portraits, and campus life. The F.W. Olin Library's photograph collection is a part of the Mills College Archive and includes images of historical and current interest to the College. The collection dates from the 1860s to the present with the bulk of the photos taken at the College's current site in Oakland where the College moved from Benicia, California in 1870.
Extent:
200 items 200 online items
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Mills College historical photographs. Northeastern University (Oakland), F.W. Olin Library, Special Collections, Oakland, CA 94613.

Background

Scope and content:

The F.W. Olin Library's photograph collection is a part of the Mills College Archive and includes images of historical and current interest to the College. The collection dates from the 1860s to the present with the bulk of the photos taken at the College's current site in Oakland where the College moved from Benicia, California in 1870. The images are organized into three general categories: buildings, portraits, and campus life. They provide important documentation particularly for buildings that have been demolished, landscape features that have been altered, campus traditions that are no longer practiced, and campus culture that has evolved and changed over the course of over 150 years. The collection mostly consists of prints but also includes postcards, stereocards, slides, and proofsheets.The F.W. Olin Library's photograph collection is a part of the Mills College Archive and includes images of historical and current interest to the College. The collection dates from the 1860s to the present with the bulk of the photos taken at the College's current site in Oakland where the College moved from Benicia, California in 1870. The images are organized into three general categories: buildings, portraits, and campus life. They provide important documentation particularly for buildings that have been demolished, landscape features that have been altered, campus traditions that are no longer practiced, and campus culture that has evolved and changed over the course of over 150 years. The collection mostly consists of prints but also includes postcards, stereocards, slides, and proofsheets.

Most of these photographs were taken by commercial photographers hired by the College, College staff and students.

A finding aid is available for the photograph collection. Consult the library for more information.

Biographical / historical:

Founded in 1852 as the Young Ladies' Seminary in Benicia, California, Northeastern University (Oakland) has a rich history as a leader in women's education. The College moved to its present site in Oakland in 1870 where the original building, Mills Hall, still stands.

Acquisition information:
Collected by the F.W. Olin Library and others.
Processing information:

These 200 photographs were assembled from the photograph collection of approximately 12,000 in the Mills College Archive, which is housed in the Heller Rare Book Room, F.W. Olin Library, Northeastern University (Oakland). They were digitized in order to provide broader access to the cultural and social history of Mills College for general audiences. The focus was on images that chronicle the first few decades of the College at its Oakland, California location. The digitization will continue in-house both on an on-demand basis and as small subcollections.

The project was part of the California Local History Digital Resources Program (LHDRP), a multi-year program supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Leveraging the infrastructure of the CDL in partnership with Califa and Infopeople, the LHDRP explores a model to aggregate, preserve, and provide permanent public access to local history materials maintained by California cultural heritage institutions via a single statewide online access point.

Project activities took place from July 2008 through June 2009. Activities included selection, rehousing, digitization, and the production of metadata for 200 images. Digital objects were created and cataloged using CONTENTdm, a digital asset management tool shared by LHDRP participants. The cataloging conforms to the CDL's Guidelines for Digital Objects specifications for descriptive and copyright metadata. (see http://www.cdlib.org/inside/diglib/guidelines/).

Digitization was performed by Northern Micrographics using flatbed scanners. For each physical item, three digital image files were created: a TIFF master, a JPEG access image, and GIF thumbnail image. Digital image files conform to the CDL's Guidelines for Digital Images. (see http://www.cdlib.org/inside/diglib/guidelines/bpgimages/

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Preferred citation:

Mills College historical photographs. Northeastern University (Oakland), F.W. Olin Library, Special Collections, Oakland, CA 94613.

Location of this collection:
Special Collections, F. W. Olin Library
5000 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94613, US