BCC Renames Library 'The Ruth Edmonds Hill Library'
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has renamed its library The Ruth Edmonds Hill Library in honor of a lifelong area librarian, following a series of requests for feedback from faculty, staff, students, alumni and the public.
After conducting historical research into the namesake of the former Jonathan Edwards Library and collecting feedback from the College's internal and larger Berkshire community, BCC determined a name change was warranted.
Following that decision, the College initiated an inclusive process led by a cross-campus taskforce to collect suggestions for a new name, including outreach to the Berkshire Historical Society and feedback from the public. Three defining criteria emerged: (1) the name should align with BCC's mission, vision and values; (2) it should be associated with strong Berkshire County connections; and (3) it should contribute to diversifying representation among the College's building names.
Ruth Edmonds Hill was the clear leader, receiving a majority of support across survey and feedback sessions, stated a press release.
"While there were many admirable candidates, Ruth Edmonds Hill stood out as the strongest. Her work has been recognized statewide, but naming the library in her honor centers her legacy within her home community of Berkshire County," said BCC President Ellen Kennedy. "As a librarian, educator and storyteller, Hill powerfully showed how education and service can shape both a community and a nation."
The designation celebrates a multigenerational legacy of leadership and justice, honoring Hill alongside the broader contributions of her family, including her great-grandfather, Rev. Samuel Harrison, who was the first minister of the Second Congregational Church in Pittsfield and a prolific writer on racial justice. Her mother, Florence Edmonds, overcame racial barriers in nursing and is an important part of the oral history of the Berkshires, stated a press release.
Hill was ultimately selected for the following:
- Direct connection to BCC and library work: Hill was a lifelong librarian and worked at the Berkshire Athenaeum, North Adams State College and Berkshire Community College before joining the Schlesinger Library at Harvard. She had a career rooted in librarianship and education, making her a particularly fitting namesake for a library.
- Strong local roots with statewide impact: Born in Pittsfield, Hill represents someone who invested deeply in the Berkshire community while achieving national recognition for her work in oral history and storytelling. Born into a lineage of trailblazers in Berkshire County, Hill was part of a local family of great activism and impact.
- Power of storytelling: Hill demonstrated a lifelong commitment to literacy, education and historical preservation — core functions of a library. A pioneer of the oral history movement, she supervised and developed several oral history exhibitions and book projects, including the Black Women Oral History Project in 1977.
- Programming and curricular opportunities: Hill's life and professional contributions, combined with her family history, provide extensive opportunities for curricular, co-curricular and community engagement opportunities and collaborations with other organizations.
- Relatable and inspiring role model: As a Black woman scholar and librarian, Hill's name reflects BCC's mission, vision and values and adds to the diversity among building names at the College. Internal and external feedback highlighted that honoring a local librarian with direct ties to the College elevates an often underrecognized profession and provides a powerful role model with which students can identify and connect.
"Ruth Edmonds Hill's name and legacy uniquely combine place, profession and purpose. It is an inspiring and powerful title for a community college library. We look forward to marking this new chapter for BCC's library with a celebratory event this fall semester, held in partnership with the Berkshire Historical Society and the Samuel Harrison Society and shared with our students, staff, faculty and the broader community," BCC President Ellen Kennedy said.
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