The records in the College Archives can provide researchers with answers to specific questions or help them to understand broad social and cultural issues.
[1][2] Browne had been active in the Alumna Association, and material from her time as a student (saved by her mother) formed the basis of the early collection.
Browne remained a strong advocate for the archive, asserting its importance and the need for a physical space for the collection.
[1][3] Supporting the work Browne had begun, Elizabeth Cutter Morrow officially established the Archives of Smith College in March, 1940.
As acting-president of Smith College, Mrs. Morrow advocated that "several institutions of higher learning, Amherst and Harvard [to mention only two] had set aside space and provided personnel not only for the preservation of documents related to the early history of the institution but also to preserve material which had reference to its development through successive periods, including the present, and included material connected with administrators, faculty members, and students.