Guide for alumni and their families
The Perkins Archives and Hayes Research Library are glad to help with questions from Perkins alumni, former staff, and their families, including descendents. The following guide is meant to provide you with some helpuful resources, tips, and student privacy infomration to begin your search. The Research Library staff are happy to help with questions about specific individuals who attended Perkins. Additional information may be available for alums themselves, depending on the materials in our collections.
Guide for alumni and their families
The Perkins Archives and Hayes Research Library are glad to help with questions from Perkins alumni, former staff, and their families, including descendents. The following guide is meant to provide you with some helpuful resources, tips, and student privacy infomration to begin your search. The Research Library staff are happy to help with questions about specific individuals who attended Perkins. Additional information may be available for alums themselves, depending on the materials in our collections.
Hints and tips
- When searching, surround a name in quotation marks to get only the first last name together. For example “John Smith” will turn up any instance of John Smith, not all Johns, or Smiths.
- Don't forget to search using maiden names.
- Certain a relative went to school at Perkins but can't find their name? Contact the research librarian for help.
- The Annual reports list students enrolled in the Kindergarten, Lower School, and Upper School well into the mid twentieth century.
Hints and tips
- When searching, surround a name in quotation marks to get only the first last name together. For example “John Smith” will turn up any instance of John Smith, not all Johns, or Smiths.
- Don't forget to search using maiden names.
- Certain a relative went to school at Perkins but can't find their name? Contact the research librarian for help.
- The Annual reports list students enrolled in the Kindergarten, Lower School, and Upper School well into the mid twentieth century.
Information about former students
United States law has specific requirements about how information about living students of an institution is handled. The Samuel P. Hayes Research Library and Perkins School for the Blind Archives protect the privacy of our students beyond the requirements of the law.
The amount of information about individual students varies, but we are able to share public details about students including dates of attendance, references from Perkins publications, and general information about the school at a given point in time. We may be able to share additional information with family members and alums themselves, depending on the materials in our collections.
We know that relatives are often curious about their family members who attended Perkins, and we want to balance our commitment to student privacy with our desire to let people know about Perkins, the school’s history, and the experiences of their family members. This information and our policies help us protect the privacy of our former students and their families and treat requests for these kinds of information consistently.
Please use the online form on Perkins.org to contact Research Library and Archives staff for more information about what options may be available.
Information about former students
United States law has specific requirements about how information about living students of an institution is handled. The Samuel P. Hayes Research Library and Perkins School for the Blind Archives protect the privacy of our students beyond the requirements of the law.
The amount of information about individual students varies, but we are able to share public details about students including dates of attendance, references from Perkins publications, and general information about the school at a given point in time. We may be able to share additional information with family members and alums themselves, depending on the materials in our collections.
We know that relatives are often curious about their family members who attended Perkins, and we want to balance our commitment to student privacy with our desire to let people know about Perkins, the school’s history, and the experiences of their family members. This information and our policies help us protect the privacy of our former students and their families and treat requests for these kinds of information consistently.
Please use the online form on Perkins.org to contact Research Library and Archives staff for more information about what options may be available.