INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center is a vital resource that our students can use to expand perspectives and explore interests. As part of the mission of the Center to enrich your student experience, we present a variety of free programs each semester which include seminars, workshops, classes, lectures, receptions and readings.
We welcome students to visit our website to stay informed on all of our programs and events. We invite all Boston University students to get involved, and contact us with questions or comments.
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Student Discovery SeminarsStudent Discovery Seminars give you the opportunity to examine original letters, manuscripts and photographs from the Center's rich collections. Holding and reading these items gives you the opportunity to fall into moments of history.We want to introduce you to the world of manuscripts and to inspire you. These archives reflect the trials and successes of individuals in their professions. Within our collections you will find individuals who serve as role models and mentors. At each seminar, original material will be arranged for you to view. Center staff and a guest speaker will talk briefly on the relevance of the material. The greater part of the hour will be yours to walk the room, handle the documents, and experience those moments of history. > For a list of student events, click here. |
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Student Enrichment SeriesTo enrich the student experience, we draw on the Center's resources to bring artists, writers, directors and other creative professionals to campus. You will be introduced to their work as they perform, lecture, answer questions, conduct master classes, or offer sneak previews of upcoming events.The Student Enrichment Series is an excellent way to experience something for the first time or to continue to explore an existing passion. > For a list of student events, click here. |
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Blackmon Book Collecting ContestIn 1967, the Friends of the Libraries of Boston University launched a book-collecting contest to introduce students to the joys of creating their own libraries and to encourage them in this gratifying pursuit. Californian industrialist Lawrence G. Blackmon, himself an avid reader who turned his passion into a love of collecting, endowed the contest in 1984, and since then the contest has borne his name. The contest is held in March and April, with the winners announced at the Friends of the Libraries Annual Meeting. Awards range from $200 to $1,500, including a best essay category. The contest is open to all students in the University's undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.> For a complete list of first place winners, please click here. > For a full history and contest rules and guidelines, please click here. |
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Exhibition ProgramsThe Center's exhibitions are meant to serve as inspiration for our students as they continue on their educational journey. Our goal is to educate students on poignant moments in history by displaying important pieces from these history-makers' personal collections. The Center's exhibitions showcase some of our most influential collectees, such as Bette Davis, Samuel Beckett, Martin Luther King, Jr., President Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Senator Edward W. Brooke III, Robert Frost, Nikki Giovanni, Robert B. Parker, Dan Rather, David Halberstam, BD Wong, Tyne Daly, Forest Whitaker and Willem Dafoe. By being able to view these personal documents, we hope that these exhibitions will open minds and give students a better understanding of history.> For a full list of our exhibitions, please click here. |
Get Involved
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center provides many opportunities for students to get involved. These include handling questions from scholars who want to consult our collections, processing materials, mounting and designing exhibitions and promoting events. If you are interested in participating in the everyday workings of our world-renowned collection, please contact us at archives@bu.edu.
Student Advisory Board
Launched in 2007, the Student Advisory Board helps the Center hear directly from students what they are interested in, and what types of programs meet their needs for personal and academic enrichment. The board was instrumental in designing the Center's highly successfully Ready to Vote program, which brought politicians, journalists and artists to campus to discuss issues shaping the 2008 Presidential election. The board also helped lead the Center's participation in the 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr., Peace Concert, a student-run fundraiser that involved more than 80 student organizations.
If you are interested in joining the Gotlieb Center's Student Advisory Board, please email us your résumé.
Student Internships
Internship opportunities at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center are available for Boston University students. The Center has had student interns from the Editorial Institute, the Public Relations Program, and other departments. If you are interested in internship opportunities at the Center, please contact your academic advisor and email us at archives@bu.edu.
The Center also has partnered with Simmons College's Graduate School of Library and Information Science to create a student internship program in archival management. If you are a graduate student at Simmons and are interested in this program, please contact your academic advisor or contact the Simmons Library and Information Science program.
Student Research
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center holds the documents, books, photographs and other materials of notable figures in the fields of literature, journalism, theatre, film, music, politics, diplomacy, criticism, and public service. Researchers from around the world consult these archives regularly; and hundreds of books, dissertations, articles and papers, and scores of documentary films are based on materials drawn from our collections.
We are an excellent resource for students who want to make their own discoveries, writing papers or designing projects. Please examine our student research guides and learn how you can use the Center for your own scholarship. You can also find more information on our Information for Researchers page.
Student Testimonials
"The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center lives and breathes the wisdom and knowledge of so many great minds. During my time at Boston University, Vita and each of the Center's staff members became a conduit of that wisdom, teaching so many of us the many important life lessons that ultimately brought us to a deeper understanding of self." - Jay Youmans, CFA'08
Testimonials from a seminar conducted by Ryan Hendrickson (Assistant Director for Manuscripts) with a Media Relations Class (COM 441)
"Thank you for sharing your great knowledge of the archives center with us. I truly enjoyed learning from our first hand documents, and I will definitely continue to utilize the archive's vast resources!"
"Thank you for taking the time to show us some of the items in the archives center. I learned a lot of new things and you have truly sparked my interest in doing more with the archives center. I will definitely be attending future events!" - Jessica
"The archives were wonderful and I thank you so much for having us! I hope the center gets more exposure because it is a terrific tool for students and researchers. Thank you once again for your help and guidance!" - Solange
"Thanks so much for having us. I really had an amazing time in the archives. I have never taken advantage of this resource but now I will! Thanks again!" - Jahna
"Thank you so much for hosting us! The artifacts and your knowledge were beyond interesting! I did not know it was there, but now I am a regular!" - Sam
"Thank you so much for having us at the archives! They are a great resource for any and all students -- one that I never even knew existed! Needless to say, they were very informative and interesting, in great part thanks to you." - Jackie Paris
"The archives were such a great experience! I had no idea what an amazing resource was there. Thanks for having us!" - Leigh Ann
