JKM Library: IMM370: Play in the Archives: Home

	: Spring 2024 Library Hours

Fun and Games in the Archives

Fun and Games in the Archives
Created using readily available online tools, the Fun and Games in the Archives page combines online puzzles with archival images, Chatham history with Buzzfeed quizzes, archival photos with Zoom, and iconic images with popular, stress-relieving coloring practice.

Chatham Covid-19 Collection Project

Chatham Covid-19 Collection Project
As part of an effort to document the impact of the pandemic on the Chatham community, the Archives & Special Collections invites Chatham students, faculty, staff, and alums to share their thoughts and experiences as part of the COVID-19 Collection Project. Donated stories, writings, artworks, photos, and videos will be preserved alongside archived websites and public statements showing the university’s response efforts.

Particularly Rich Online Chatham Archives Collections

Chatham Student Yearbooks Collections
Downloadable and searchable yearbooks containing photographs about campus and campus events.
Chatham Student Newspapers Collection
Chatham University Student Newspaper Collection includes newspapers produced by students of Chatham University (formerly Pennsylvania Female College, Pennsylvania College for Women, and Chatham College). Newspapers represented in the collection include: The Sorosis, The Arrow, The Matrix, The Rolling Stone, The First Edition, and The Cornerstone. They range in date from 1895 to 2018.

A Few Campus Stories

Chatham and the Suffrage Movement
See archival material used to tell stories about how Chatham (then PCW) students engaged in efforts to increase (or resist) women's access to the voting booth.
"Best All-Around Girl" An Archival View of Kamala Cornelius Asirvatham `18
The Chatham University Archives is pleased to highlight the story of Kamala Cornelius Asirvatham, graduate and member of the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University) Class of 1918.
Europe 72: The Chatham & Hamilton Choir Tour
The Chatham University Archives and Special Collections is pleased to share the history of the 1972 tour of Europe by the Chatham Choir and the Hamilton College Choir. Explore the exhibit pages and learn about the student-led efforts to fundraise leading up to the tour, the delays and challenges of travel, the surprising encounters with alums, and overwhelmingly positive reception recieved by the choirs.
A Look Back at John Lewis and his 1964 Lecture at Chatham
The passing of civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis on July 17, 2020 draws thoughts to the unparalleled impact he has had on this nation and to the brief moments he shared with the Chatham community during his visit to campus in 1964. At the time, Lewis was the National Chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). His visit to campus was a student-initiated event, arranged by the Student Peace Union (SPU), a group organized in 1961-62 and led by Chatham student and activist Linda Watts.

Chatham Campus and Architecture

Campus Architectural Drawings Collection
A collection of architectural drawings of campus landmarks including: Mellon in 1918, the Chapel, Laughlin Music Hall, campus grounds with old Berry and Dilworth, and more.
Edna McKee Houston Scrapbook
Edna (Garfielda) McKee attended the Pennsylvania College for Women (P.C.W.) from 1900 - 1904. The scrapbooks from Edna McKee Houston detail her life while attending the Pennsylvania College for Women (P.C.W.) and shortly afterward as well as events in which P.C.W and alumnae were mentioned.
Chronological Photographs Collection
The collection chronicles the activities of students, faculty, and the entire university community and illustrates academic pursuits, university events, student life and social activities that grown and changed throughout the university’s history.
Chatham Historical Films Collection
Chatham University Historical Film Collection presents a wide variety of topics and subjects relating to university history and depicted in moving image format.
Chatham Campus Postcards Collection
The Chatham University Archives Campus Postcard Collection contains postcards depicting the Shadyside campus as captured at various intervals in the 150 years since the school's founding.
Chatham Olmsted Jobs Collection

May Day at Chatham

May Day was celebrated at Chatham University for many years with elaborate pageants attended by thousands of public spectators. The last large May Day pageant occured in 1947 in the midst of student discussion around the educational value of the effort. May Day pageants were common at women's colleges in the 20th century and scholarship presents theories connecting the popularity of pageants with discomfort with women's education.

May Day Photograph Collection
Digitized images from the Chatham University May Day Collection depict festival activities occurring on campus in connection with May Day celebrations. Images document theatrical, musical, and dance performances, as well as elaborate costumes, set decorations, and staging. Community engagement in the May Day celebrations, illustrated by large crowd and audience scenes, is also notable.
May Day Records Collection
The Chatham University May Day Records document the May Day pageants celebrated on campus through photographs, documents, media, and artifacts. Digitized materials represent a portion of the larger collections, which is open for research at the Chatham University Archives.
Chatham Historical Films Collection
Chatham University Historical Film Collection includes film footage of several May Day pageants.
Chatham Student Films Collection
The Chatham University Student Films Collection includes films created by Chatham University students using materials in the University Archives. All available films have been donated to the University Archives.