The French Institute fosters study of the French in North America from the 16th century to today. It is the leading place to find material relating to the many French Canadians who immigrated to New England in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Created in 1979 to honor the French heritage of Assumption College, now University, and our region, the French Institute is an academic research center devoted to collecting, arranging, preserving, and making accessible published works, archival documents, and artifacts pertaining to the French in North America. All aspects of the French presence are of interest: historical, linguistic, literary, religious, political, etc.
An active community of researchers ranging from undergraduates to professional scholars uses the French Institute collection. Scholarship emerging from the Institute has relevance both for specialists and a broader public concerned with issues of diversity, ethnicity, and assimilation.
Appointments recommended.
The French Institute follows the academic calendar of Assumption University. Exceptions to our regular hours may be found here.
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Kate Bradley
Librarian/Archivist of the French Institute
508-767-7000 ext. 7495
For reasons of preservation, French Institute collection materials do not circulate; however, non-rare materials are allowed to circulate through the d’Alzon Library or inter-library loan with the director’s permission.
It should be noted that the Institute’s collection includes a number of Franco-American newspapers from the New England region. Most consist of bound copies and nearly all have been microfilmed. To preserve the bound volumes, the Institute encourages scholars to consult the microfilm copies whenever they are available, for example, at the American Antiquarian Society or the Boston Public Library.