Old campus – Tallmadge & Watson Architects.
A Peek into the University Archives By Joanna Bares ’13, MLIS, Electronic Resources Librarian, Archivist
As we leave Inaugural events behind and prepare to enter into a new year, the 170th year of Rockford University, it is important to take time to reflect on where we have been and where we intend to go. Archives can be a wonderful place to explore both the past and present and to predict where the future may be going. As the University has grown and changed over the past 170 years so to have the abilities of archives and archivists to better preserve documents for future generations. The Rockford University Archives was approved by the Executive Committee on March 12, 1940, through a proposal by the College Library to make the library a depository for local historical records. Upon approval, it was suggested that an acceptance committee be established to pass on materials to the Library directly related to the history of the institution. Up until this point, a collective repository of the history of the institution was lacking. In July 1973, the Rockford University Archives took another step towards preserving institutional history through some of the most up-to-date preservation methods available in the 1970s. Joan B. Surrey, Public Services Librarian, proposed the revamp of the archival program to provide protection for the materials such as non-acid file folders and window filterfilm to reduce light that may be injurious to the documents. She also suggested the microfilming of early historical documents to preserve the originals and prevent them from being damaged by over-handling.
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Old campus dining dishes.