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JBL is currently under construction!

JBL — The James Baldwin Library 

Coming soon

James Baldwin lived here. He wrote in the early hours, kept his door open, and quickly connected with students and staff at Hampshire College, where he taught from 1983 to 1986. Hampshire named its scholarship program after him, honoring students denied opportunities despite their potential. This library is rightly named for Baldwin. The James Baldwin Library permanently houses Div III projects, historic documents, and creative works by Hampshire students, faculty, and alumni—the theses, films, research, art, syllabi, zines, and other works shaped by an education that trusted them to guide themselves. 

When Hampshire closes, it has nowhere else to go. This library becomes its home. Baldwin wrote: not everything faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. Hampshire is closing. We are facing it. And so, we are building something that will outlast it.

The James Baldwin Library is currently under construction. If you have a Div III, a document, or a creative work that belongs here — hold onto it. When the library opens its doors, your work will help shape a lasting legacy, ensuring Hampshire’s spirit, creativity, and independent vision live on for generations.