Burns Library Archival Collections

A collection of materials produced by and for Boston College student clubs, societies, and other activities, including correspondence, reports, meeting agendas, planning documents, awards, newsletters, photographs, publicity, and artifacts.

Collection is open for research. Audio and video recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Records, predominantly programs, photographs, and recordings, of official Boston College student musical ensembles and their predecessors, including both instrumental and vocal ensembles under the purview of the Bands Program and the Music Department.

Materials, predominantly programs and photographs, pertaining to dramatics at Boston College, including productions organized by the Dramatics Society, English Department, Rhetorics Department, Theater Department, and other campus organizations.

Collection is open for research. One audiocassette has been digitally copied; digital use copies, identified by digital content number, can be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room. One film reel is not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.

Composed primarily of annual reports and publications. The annual reports are from the tenures of Deans Mary T. Kinnane, George R. Fuir, SJ and James A. Woods, SJ. The publications consist mainly of school bulletins but also include brochures on specific Summer Session programs.

Collection is closed until processed.

Records of the Boston College men's and women’s swimming and diving teams include awards dinner programs, media guides, newsletters, photographs, statistics (meet results and other statistics), and video recordings of competitions. Additionally, there are some files related to the Boston College water polo team.

Collection is open for research.

Audio and videocassettes, CDs, and DVDs in this collection are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted. Please let Reading Room staff know of your specific interest, if possible, reformatting will be scheduled.

Album containing 66 linen-backed gelatin silver photographs of train cars, stations, yards, and machinery operated by the Boston Elevated Railway Company. Captions are dated 1898-1901.

Open for research.

Composed of administrative records of the Institute. Includes annual reports, publications, correspondence, meeting minutes, videocassettes and related material.

Collection is closed until processed.

Open for research.

This collection contains two letters written by the fifth president of Boston College, Edward V. Boursaud, SJ, after his time as president.

Collection is open for research.

Materials collected by twentieth-century Massachusetts lobbyist and historical collector Ellerton J. Brehaut. Consists of correspondence, manuscripts, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, account books, publications and other items relating to the history of the City of Boston. Includes records created by the Boston Police Department and other institutions, organizations, and committees.

Collection is open for research.

Brendan Connolly, SJ was the Director of Libraries at Boston College from 1959-1974. The collection is composed of Connolly's collection of nine ancient coins, a necklace made up of two blue stones, and one trinket-sized ancient ram or goat figurine.

Collection is open for research.

Leather-bound photograph album of the British royal family during the reign of King Edward VII. Also includes photographs of royal castles, palaces and other properties. The photographs include handwritten descriptions of each item. An emblem combining King Edward VII's initials and the motto of the Order of the Garter (Honi soit qui mal y pense) is embossed on the front cover.

Open for research.

Album containing 37 portrait photographs of students of the Convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and 1 portrait of Father Edward Purcell (1808-1881). Handwritten captions, dated 1867-1876, identify the subjects. Two pages, captioned "Chief Justice Taney" and "Margo Duer Henry," are lacking photographs.

Papers that document the professional and personal life of twentieth-century American politician and lawyer William M. Bulger in the Massachusetts legislature and as University of Massachusetts president. Materials include correspondence, clippings, photographs, legislative material, speeches and remarks, audio and video recordings, and ephemera.

Collection is open for research.

Audio and video recordings have been digitally copied; all original media was retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Papers document the religious career of twentieth-century Boston Catholic priest Robert W. Bullock. Materials include correspondence, sermons and talks, photographs, ministry documents, awards, artifacts and ephemera, and a scrapbook. It also contains material relating to Bullock's work with the non-profit organization Facing History and Ourselves.

Collection is open for research.

Materials from Series VII. Sermons and talks, including Subseries D. Sermons and Subseries E. Talking Religion radio shows, were received digitally. This content has been migrated from source media; digital use copies can only be accessed onsite in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Collection is open for research.

Papers pertain to writer Patrick Cahill's research and publication on Hilaire Belloc and G.K. Chesterton. It contains manuscripts and typescripts of Cahill's essays on Belloc and Chesterton; Cahill's research notes; correspondence; Distributist League Reports from 1927-1936; a sound recording of Hilaire Belloc, and a photocopy of Hilaire Belloc's will.

Collection is open for research.

The papers contain manuscripts and publications of journalist and historian Thomas P. Cahill, as well as photographs, periodicals, newspaper clippings, correspondence and related items, mainly concerning Irish history and the role of James Cahill in the Manchester rescue of 1867. Also included is an account of the Boer War by P.A. Cronje.

Collection is open for research.

The scrapbook includes newspaper clippings (mostly poetry), programs, brochures and other ephemera. It also includes a few passages written in Callanan's own hand. Much of the material relates to music, theater, religious and oratorical activities sponsored by Boston College.

Open for research. Fragile; use care in handling.

This collection consists primarily of field recordings of Cape Breton and Irish traditional music performed by various musicians in the Boston area, as recorded on home recording equipment by Johnny and Mary Muise. Included are informal music gatherings and social events that took place in the Muise home in Dorchester (1951-1965) and Roslindale (1965 and later), as well as concerts and other gatherings. Some of the audio recordings also contain published material.

Collection is open for research. Open reel tapes and audiocassettes are restricted (boxes 2-6). All open reel tapes have been reformatted, and digital versions are available for use in the Burns Library Reading Room. All audiocassettes have not yet been reformatted, but can be upon request. Note that there may be a delay in availability of digitized versions.