History and scholarship at your fingertips
History and scholarship at your fingertips
You can access the PC Archives digital collection from home
Providence College Archives and Special Collections in Phillips Memorial Library contains a treasure trove of college history — rare books, films, photographs, documents, and memorabilia collected since the college’s founding and preserved for future generations.
Now, thanks to the ongoing efforts of library staff, much of the collection can be viewed by computer from anywhere in the world, including from your home.
Wondering about a moment in college history? The Cowl is a great source. It began publication on November 16, 1935, and has published each academic year since, save for two years in the 1940s during World War II. The library’s Digital Projects and Metadata Department began scanning back issues of The Cowl in the winter of 2009. The project is complete, with issues uploaded for viewing, searching, and saving through December 2025.
Can’t remember who spoke at your graduation? Commencement programs are available from 1923–2022. Misplaced your yearbook? You can view copies of Veritas from 1928–1979. The Alembic literary magazine is there, along with past versions of Providence College magazines and The Spectrum, a newspaper published from 1993–2009 for campus employees.
“Making the history of PC and our unique collections available is only possible through the efforts of many skilled staff,” said Michelle Chiles, head of PC Archives and Special Collections. “From archivists who select and describe material, to student workers carefully scanning the items, to digital projects staff who manage platforms and ensure long-term preservation, this work is what makes this history available to anyone from anywhere.”
PC Archives also houses the papers of prominent politicians and organizations. They are available online through a collaboration between the Archives and Digital Projects teams.
Providence College Digital Collections contains the papers of John O. Pastore (1907–2000), the first Italian American in the country to be elected a governor and a United States senator. PC Archives digitized almost 100 rare films from the Pastore collection in October 2025 on the 80th anniversary of his inauguration as governor of Rhode Island. The films include a campaign commercial made by John F. Kennedy two years before Kennedy was elected president.
The papers of John E. Fogarty (1913–1967), including personal and legislative correspondence, speeches, legislative records, and photographs, are also included in Digital Collections. Fogarty took evening courses at PC for two years before becoming an apprentice bricklayer. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 26 years and is known for his support of public health legislation, including programs to protect those with intellectual disabilities.
The Digital Commons site, which includes scholarly papers by students and professors, conference presentations, and multimedia projects, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2026. The first scholarly paper was uploaded to Digital Commons on January 9, 2006. That single upload has grown to 37,370 works of student and faculty scholarship, shared and downloaded more than 5.5 million times by readers around the world, amplifying PC voices around the world.
“This achievement reflects the incredible research and impact of the work being shared through Digital Commons, from faculty publications and student research to campus journals and special collections,” said Megan Lessard, head of digital projects and metadata. “It’s a testament to the dedication of our contributors and the value of open access to academic work.”
