Overview
This collection chiefly consists of final examinations given by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, especially the undergraduate examinations from Harvard College. It also includes examinations from the Harvard Law School, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the Graduate School of Business Administration, and the Lawrence Scientific School. Other types of examinations include questions for entrance, mid-year, honors, Ph.D., make-up, reading, divisional and general examinations.
Dates
- Creation: 1836-2009
Creator
- Harvard University (Organization)
Access
Open for research.
Extent
70.2 cubic feet (138 document boxes, 5 folio boxes and 227 volumes)This collection chiefly consists of final examinations given by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, especially the undergraduate examinations from Harvard College. It also includes examinations from the Law School, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the Graduate School of Business Administration, and the Lawrence Scientific School. Other types of examinations include questions for entrance, mid-year, honors, Ph.D., make-up, reading, divisional and general examinations. While most of the examinations are printed, thee collection also includes a smaller number of typed and manuscript examinations for special or limited use. The series also contains bound volumes of reprinted examinations published by the University, each volume containing multiple types of examinations.
Series and Subseries in the Collection
- Undated examinations
- Admissions examinations, 1836-1925
- Anticipatory examinations, 1872-1949
- Divisional and general examinations, 1915-1975
- Examination papers, 1871-1915
- Final examinations, 1853-2009
- Honors examinations, 1869-1941
- Hour examinations, 1853-1975
- Make-up examinations, 1890-1978
- Mid-year examinations, 1852-1943
- Examinations for the Ph.D., 1875-1958
- Reading examinations, 1903-1956
Custodial History
These examinations have been gathered together by librarians and archivists at Harvard University for over a century. The sources of these copies of the examinations are varied. One well-represented source has been the libraries themselves, where copies of obsolete examinations were a library resource for students. When the examinations were outdated, they were transferred to the Archives' historical collections. Other sources for examinations have been the departments, students, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Over the years, the archivists' efforts have been aimed toward filling in gaps in the set of examinations, rather than recording the immediate source of each, so, for each examination, there is more than one possible source. Markings on some copies may indicate their custodial history.
Acquisition information
This collection came to the Archives in numerous accruals and may include material whose acquisition was not recorded.
- Accession 10385; April 1, 1985
- Accession 11963; June 13, 1990
- Accession 12097; December 21, 1990
- Accession 12358; January 29, 1992
- Accession 12551; September 17, 1992
- Accession 12826; February 15, 1994
- Accession 13047: February 13, 1995
- Accession 13218; October 23, 1995
- Accession 13381; June 25, 1996
- Accession 13576; June 11, 1997
- Accession 13897; December 11, 1998
- Accession 13958; June 22, 1999
- Accession 14084; November 24, 1999
- Accession 14143; April 25, 2000
- Accession 14227; September 14, 2000
- Accession 14583; June 27, 2002
- Accession 17787; May 16, 2008
- Accession 18746; February 19, 2013
Accruals
As of 2009, no further accruals are expected from the most frequent past source of examinations, the undergraduate libraries.
Selected post-2009 examinations may be available through my.harvard.edu
Inventory update
This document last updated 2016 October 24.
Processing Information
Processed by Juliana Kuipers, April-May 2004. Processing staff in the Harvard University Archives re-arranged an artificial collection of Harvard University examinations. Previously, examinations were arranged chronologically, and thereunder by type of exam. The collection has been collapsed into twelve series by type of examination; the chronological arrangement of each series has been retained. Individual item call numbers have been deleted. Any items not fitting into these series were treated as monographs and catalogued individually into HOLLIS, Harvard's on-line library information system, and can be found under HUC 7xxx.
In 2014, Juliana Kuipers added two accessions of final examinations.
Creator
- Harvard University (Organization)
- Title
- Harvard University. Examinations, 1836-2009 : an inventory
- Author
- Harvard University Archives
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua15004
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu