| | |
 |
|
| 07-28-2004 | Previous edition: 07-26-2004 |
        
     |
Printer-friendly version Purdue artifacts contain University’s history
Summer Reporter Housed in the Archives and Special Collections library is a John McCutcheon cartoon depicting a man beginning his life in the "real world" after finishing college. So it goes with generations of Purdue students who graduate and leave campus behind, taking only their memories and perhaps a few venereal diseases. But here, in room 279 in Stewart Center, a piece of those experiences, of those people, remains. "Oftentimes (people) don’t even know we exist and we have so much about the history of Purdue," said Sammie Morris, assistant professor of library science and archivist. Morris, along with Katherine Markee, special collections librarian, works to both preserve the materials of the archives and help researchers find the facts that connect Purdue to history. "We like to think of ourselves as the one spot you come to whenever you’re doing research," she said. And although rows of ancient-looking volumes may not appear extraordinary, the archives hold a wealth of nostalgia that, in many cases, is found only at Purdue. What Morris finds most interesting is the large collection of Amelia Earhart artifacts. "There’s an ice pick she used to open cans of tomato juice on her long flights, and there’s a little jar of smelling salts she used to kind of wake herself up … It’s like going back in time," Morris said. And indeed, the library itself is a bit of a time warp. Unlike other libraries on campus, most of the archives’ content can’t be found online. "We have a great card catalog and it really helps us surprisingly," Markee said. It is through this system of subject lists that most research is conducted. Frequently, Markee and Morris receive requests for information found in past telephone directories and yearbooks, two items which have been collected every year since the University’s founding. Markee flips through a copy of the 1889 "Debris," which, though yellowed, appears to be in excellent condition. Papers, clothing, books and other odds and ends must be kept in cool temperatures, out of heat and light to be preserved — one reason why many of the archives’ pieces are kept in storage. "It’s not good for materials to be on exhibit all the time," Morris said. "Our primary goal is research value and second to that is just kind of the ‘ooh’ factor of looking at things like you would in a museum." One object that does get frequent viewing—the death mask of John Purdue, a plaster mold of the founder’s face made after his death in 1876. Although the collections and archives are rooted in pre-computer culture, some effort is being made to update parts of the stores. Much of the Earhart collection has been scanned and is now available by searching the archives Web site; Markee and Morris are working on a brochure to alert more people of the room’s usefulness. But for Morris, seeing the original documents can’t compare to viewing a scanned version. "These are the type of things that when someone is writing a biography about a person they want to see—the letters, the photographs, the diaries—the things that tell the story beyond what they could find in a reference book." And even now, preparations are being made for the researchers of the future. Morris said, "We try to keep up to date because we know the events that’re happening today are going to be the archives of tomorrow." Printer-friendly version |
|
Front Page | Campus | City | Features | Opinions | Sports | Classifieds Advertising | Archive | Links | About us | Letter Submission Form To report any errors with or to give ideas on how we can improve the online edition of The Exponent contact Online Production |
