Ada Comstock Scholars Program records

Collection

Identifier: CA-MS-01052

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of individual student files for Ada Comstock Scholars as well as records of the program, student and alumni events, and related committees. Materials include office files, correspondence, financial documents, scrapbooks, and VHS and cassette tapes.

Dates of Materials

Creation: 1922 - 2005

Creator

Smith College. Ada Comstock Scholars Program (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for use with following restrictions on access:

Many boxes are partially or fully restricted, primarily due to the presence of student records, which are restricted until death of the student, which if unknown is presumed 100 years after creation of the record.

See series-level access notes for information on what boxes are restricted.

Conditions Governing Use

Smith College retains copyright of materials created as part of its business operations; however, copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For instances which may regard materials in the collection not created by Smith College, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.

Extent

50.917 linear feet (50 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Ada Comstock Scholars Program enables women of nontraditional college age to complete a bachelor of arts degree at Smith College. The collection consists of individual student files for Ada Comstock Scholars as well as records of the program, student and alumni events, and related committees.

Arrangement

This collection has been added to over time in multiple "accessions." An accession is a group of materials received from the same source at approximately the same time.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

As a preservation measure, researchers must use digital copies of audiovisual materials in this collection. Please consult with Special Collections staff or email specialcollections@smith.edu to request the creation of and access to digital copies.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The majority of the collection was transferred from the Ada Comstock Scholars Program. The source of some items is unknown.

Appraisal

2 boxes (0.876 linear feet) of student records, personnel and job search files, and routine financial information (1984-2006) were destroyed in compliance with the Smith College Records Management Policy in March 2023.

Processing Information

Between September 2022 and February 2023, Smith College Special Collections renumbered many boxes to eliminate duplicate numbers within collections in order to improve researcher experience. A full crosswalk of old to new numbers is available.