The Hostos Archives collects institutional records, faculty papers, and manuscript collections that document the college’s history. The archives’ primary interest is in preserving and making available materials which document the unique role that Hostos has played as a community resource in the South Bronx. The archive unit also maintains custody over collections that support the college’s academic mission and programs. Such collections have been subject to a rigorous appraisal process by archives staff and found to be within our collection development policy.
The Collection on Pat Oldham documents the 1983 campaign to reinstate Pat Oldham, former Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Hostos, to the college faculty with tenure. The collection consists of photographs documenting several mass protests supporting the cause, letters from University faculty and administrators to Hostos President Flora Mancuso Edwards and CUNY Chancellor Joseph Murphy, and articles from the PSC CUNY Clarion.
This collection documents the history of the Hostos Arts and Culture program from 1983 through the present. It contains ephemera, posters, and programs used to promote various shows in the visual and performing arts.
The collection consists of approximately 65 silver gelatin photographs documenting life on East 149th Street in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. The exhibit depicts the many businesses, restaurants, and shops that lined the street’s sidewalks and surrounding areas in 1986. Through his camera lens, Pablo Delano tells the story of a pride filled neighborhood devoted to hard work and community success.
The Hostos Archives collection development policy is a planning tool to guide department staff in making informed decisions on potential accessions. The collections development policy is therefore an essential component of the appraisal process through which materials are added to the collection. Equally important, the guidelines provided ensure an appropriate balance between department resources and commitments.
Through a systematic archival management program, only those records which maintain historical, administrative, legal, and fiscal value are identified and retained permanently.
In order to add material to the collection items must:
The decision to select and preserve records of historical value is the responsibility of the Hostos archivist and the Archives Advisory Committee. The purpose of collecting such records is to provide documentation of the development and growth of the college, including its functions of teaching and education, its role in the community, the activities of the students and alumni and the development of the physical grounds. The Hostos archives also acts as a repository of last resort for materials of local interest that might otherwise be destroyed.
Please note that the ability to accept large-scale collections includes consideration of financial support from the donor for processing the collection, preservation, and to house the material according to archival standards.
Materials that do not reflect the subject areas or types of materials collected by the Hostos archives may be returned or declined according to these guidelines. Collections may also be offered to a more appropriate repository
