Searching the Archives

We have multiple ways to search through archives and special collection materials. We recommend searching using keywords in the following areas (as in, only search with the most important keywords).

1. Archives @ Rollins College (ARC) 
   • ARC is a database of finding aids, which are descriptive guides for archival collections held in the College Archives & Special Collections at Rollins.  Finding aids describe the scope and contents of a collection, and may have box and folder inventories of collection contents that help researchers find information in manuscripts or archival collections and include information on the origin, extent, dates, contents, and subjects for the collections.
2. Olin Library Catalog
   • The Olin Library Catalog also searches all special collections & selective college publication records.
   • After searching for your materials, you’ll need to filter the list on the left "Tweak my results" menu. If Archives & Special Collections has materials that fit your keywords, you can filter the results to find only the materials from the College Archives by clicking links under the "Locations" tab such as:
     • Archives – Special Collection
     • Archives – Rollins Collection
     • Archives – Special Florida Collection
     • Archives – Rare Books
     • Archives – Special Whitman Collection
     • Archives – Hamilton Holt Collection
     • Archives – Honor Theses
     • Archives – Woolson Collection
3. Rollins Scholarship Online (RSO)
   • RSO is the College’s institutional repository, a platform for collecting, describing, organizing, and sharing works that document the scholarly, creative, and professional activities of Rollins College. RSO provides open access to faculty scholarship; Masters of Liberal Studies theses from 2010-present, and Honors Program Theses starting in 2014; current publications such as the SPECS Journal of Arts and Culture; and a growing body of contents from Archives and Special Collections, including digitized books, oral histories, student organization records, and faculty governance documents.
4. Rollins Digital Collections
   • Rollins Digital Collections are designed to enhance public awareness of and broaden users' access to the unique historical materials in the Olin Library, while promoting the use of primary sources and supporting teaching and learning at Rollins and in local communities. With thousands of historical images and textual records, the project currently has the following collections: Hamilton Holt, Faces of Rollins, Rollins Architecture and Landscape, Student Lives at Rollins, Pathway to Diversity at Rollins, Treasures at Rollins Archives, and Winter Park and Florida. Through thousands of historical images and textual records, Rollins' liberal arts heritage and its tradition of excellence, innovation and community are vividly represented.
5. Rollins Web Archives
   • Rollins Web Archives documents the historic web presence of the College to ensure that an accurate record of College operations, activities, and communications is preserved and accessible well into the future. In addition to College websites and pages, it selectively captures web content that complements the Special Collections.  Search the Web Archives for College catalogues and course schedules; departmental websites, and campus publications.

Please contact the Archives & Special Collections in advance to request materials and/or to schedule a research appointment.

Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the Archives' public reading room under staff supervision. Researchers will be asked to register online, and need to provide a current government or academic-issued photo ID when visiting in person.