How to Find Us
The Chapin Library of Williams College is located temporarily (until summer 2014) in the historic Southworth Schoolhouse, converted to faculty/staff apartments, at 96 School Street, Williamstown.
From the east (Boston, North Adams), heading west on Rte. 2 (locally Main Street), pass the intersection with Rte.43 and the colonial-style Williamstown Savings Bank on the left. Take the next turning to the right, before the hill, into Southworth Street. Proceed two blocks, then turn right into School Street. The Southworth Schoolhouse is the three-story red brick building on the corner. Proceed on School Street 200 ft., and enter the parking lot at the first driveway on the left.
From the west (Albany), south (Pittsfield), or north (Vermont), proceed east on Rte. 2 through central Williamstown and the Williams College campus, up and down several hills. Before reaching the Williamstown Savings Bank on the right, at the base of a hill, turn left into Southworth Street. Proceed two blocks, then turn right into School Street. The Southworth Schoolhouse is the three-story red brick building on the corner. Proceed on School Street 200 ft., and enter the parking lot at the first driveway on the left.
The public, handicapped-accessible entrance to the Schoolhouse is on the east side of the building, facing the new Williamstown elementary school. In the lobby, press the intercom button for Apartment 3, where the Library shares a reading room/class presentation space with the Williams College Archives; you will be buzzed through a security door. The reading room telephone number is 413-597-4200.
Drivers whose cars do not have a Williams College parking sticker and who plan an extended visit should notify Chapin staff in advance, so that we can in turn inform Campus Safety and Security. Short-term visitors may park without advance notice.
The locations of the Williams College libraries may be seen on this map. Also available is a visitor’s guide to Williams College and Williamstown.
While we are in temporary quarters, we have no exhibitions on site. The Library's collection of the Founding Documents of the United States is on temporary display at the Williams College Museum of Art.