Upcoming Events

4:00–6:00p, April 20, 2026
Tour In Person

Tour of the Five College Storage Facility

100 Military Road, Amherst MA 01002

The image is divided into two sections. The left section shows an outdoor scene of a partly underground facility. A grassy hill, possibly a bunker, blends into a foggy landscape with autumn-colored trees. A concrete entrance is visible at the base of the hill, flanked by two green bushes. In front of the entrance is a small, white utility shed with a sloped roof. The right section depicts an indoor archive with rows of shelves filled with uniformly sized boxes. The shelves extend from floor to ceiling and are marked with labels. There is a person standing on a rolling ladder, accessing one of the boxes. The room is brightly lit with overhead lighting.

Left: A view of the outside of the Five College Library Depository (FCLD), Right: A view of the stacks inside the FCLD

What becomes of a Cold War bunker after its last use during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Naturally, it becomes a storage site for the books and journals of the Five College Library Repository Collection.

Join the BSA Events Planning Sub-Committee for a tour of this unique facility, followed by a reception. Registration is required and limited to 25 participants.

The group will meet in the reception area of the Storage Facility (aka the Bunker) which is on Military Road (directions below); parking is plentiful and free.

Directions

  • 100 Military Road, Amherst MA 01002

  • Take Rt. 116 to the Notch and turn onto Military Road.

  • Drive past the Department of Conservation and Recreation fire station (on the right) to the gate at the end of the road.

  • Pass through the gate and through the second gate into the parking lot. 

  • The parking lot is currently an active construction site so please park along the grass on the left up towards the green building and silver silo. Please beware of potholes and large construction pipes. 

  • The entrance is past the green building through the large bushes at the glass doors. 

  • The tour involves stairs (20+ up and down) and all floors are concrete. The building temperature is maintained at about 65*F and will be chilly in the early evening. Please wear sensible shoes and bring a sweater. There will be a locked office space where people can leave purses or backpacks if they would like.  

Registration

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