The role of a college’s archives is to tell the stories of students, faculty, and staff throughout time, allowing those who come later to find grounding and inspiration in past triumphs and tribulations. The Roxbury Community College Archives and Special Collections fulfills this responsibility by collecting, preserving, and making available historical materials documenting the history of RCC and Greater Roxbury. In September, the RCC Archives launched a new website to make the stories of our past more accessible.
RCC Library Archive
In the 21st century, archives are increasingly moving to the online environment, where they can be explored at any time and from anywhere. As the institutional memory of the college, RCC’s digital archive is a perpetual work in progress, which captures the evolution of our programs as well as our sense of identity and understanding of education. Accessible through the RCC library webpage, the archives site displays digital items including photographs, student handbooks, course catalogs, student newsletters, event programs, and much more.
RCC Library Archive
Today, most of the materials found on the new site are photographs capturing the legacy of the past four decades at RCC, but we are constantly adding more digital objects. In the future, we hope to also exhibit materials from our special collections, which include the records of the Boston Black United Front and the records of Mel King’s 1983 mayoral campaign.
RCC Library Archive
The archives’ current focus is on preserving the stories of how Covid-19 has affected the RCC community. At RCC, we serve a community whose voices have historically been ignored, and we are honored to provide a platform that will chronicle their experiences during the pandemic. To view the archives’ ongoing Covid-19 History Project and explore all of our currently available digital materials, visit rcc.access.preservica.com.
Additionally, the RCC Archives accepts donations of records in various formats — text, audiovisual, and digital — that document the history, mission, programs, and policies of RCC.
Meet the Staff
Julia Greider, MLIS, Librarian Archivist
Julia Greider, MLIS, Librarian Archivist
Originally hailing from Virginia, Julia Greider graduated from Smith College with a double major in English and the Study of Women and Gender. She also holds a Master of Library and Information Science with an archives management concentration from Simmons University. Before coming to RCC in 2019, she worked in a variety of public libraries and women’s and LGBTQ archives, most recently Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America.
Greider believes strongly in the ability of history to empower marginalized communities. “Understanding the struggles and victories of those who have come before you can create a revitalizing sense of pride and solidarity in claiming a certain group identity,” she says. At RCC, she aims to make the college archives and special collections more accessible and help incorporate RCC’s history of overcoming adversity into the daily life of the school. Along with being RCC’s archivist, Greider is also the liaison librarian for the English, Humanities, and Criminal Justice Departments. She teaches classes on how to conduct research and works with students one-on-one to help them gain the information skills they need to succeed
in college.
GET INVOLVED: To contribute to the archives or access materials that are not yet available online, please email the archivist, Julia Greider, at jgreider@rcc.mass.edu. View the archives at rcc.access.preservica.com.
