Simmons College

Rob Cox, the Head of Special Collections and University Archives at UMass Amherst, teaches Archival Access and Use at GSLIS West. A graduate of Haverford College, he split his time between paleontology and molecular biology before receiving a MILS at the University of Michigan (with a concentration in Archives) and a PhD in early American history. Before coming to UMass, he held positions as head of Manuscripts at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan, and as Keeper of Manuscripts at the American Philosophical Society. In addition to his work at GSLIS, Cox also teaches in the Department of History at UMass.

Among other subjects, Cox has published on the history of the American Spiritualist movement, the Lewis and Clark expedition, Quaker "missions" to the Seneca Indians, the history of photography, and the history of sleep. His other activities range from consulting work at the Alaska Native Language Center, serving on several granting committees, keeping cattle, and working with local historical societies and small libraries to describe, care for, and publicize their holdings.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)