My favorite things, part I

Click to see available digitized newspapers.

Written by: Emily Cottle

This week’s post is the first in a three part series entitled my favorite things. Each week we will feature a staff member of the University Archives who will share their favorite collection items.

The collections at the University Archives contain so many wonderful items that trying to pick a single favorite is almost impossible! I’d say the group of items that I find most intriguing and historically valuable are the issues of the school newspaper.

I think school papers are interesting because they give a first-hand account of what’s happening at an institution at a particular time. You can tell what issues students were facing or learn about controversies that were happening on campus. There is also important basic information like when campus events, such as Homecoming, Commencement, Founders day, were held and accounts of who was there or what happened.

In addition to news articles providing these primary source accounts, you get to see advertisements, photographs, how formats or layout styles changed, and other contextual clues that provide so much information beyond the simple text of an article.

Our collection of school papers begins in 1909 with issues of The Echo, as the school paper was known then. (Note: Our complete collection of The Echo from 1909-1912 has been digitized and is available online.) Our run picks up with The Hornet in 1950 and continues through to 2014. Come visit the Archives to browse some of these newspapers yourself.

Come back next week to learn about Cale McCammon’s favorite item!