Special Collections Research Center

You would be forgiven for thinking you were looking at some kind of holy relic if you glanced quickly at the box below from SCRC’s collections. Between the latched leather carrying case, complete with embossed lid, and the crest stamped on the top of the cylinder inside, there is an attributed value given to this ...

Margaret Bourke-White was known for taking risks. An American photojournalist and war correspondent, she shot the cover photograph for Life Magazine‘s first issue in 1936, beginning a professional relationship that continued for several decades of the magazine’s publication and her career. Bourke-White traveled across the United States during the Great Depression and she extensively chronicled ...

In 1967, WSYR issued the following message, an interruption to their scheduled broadcast: “We interrupt this program. The Office of Civil Defense has issued the following message: This is an attack warning. Repeat. This is an attack warning. Attack warning means that an actual attack against this country has been detected and that protective actions should ...

By Emily Banach, Graduate Student Assistant At the start of this post, I want to acknowledge the fact that I am a white woman in a white-dominated field, and that this undoubtedly influences how I understand and perform archival work. I started working as a graduate assistant for the Special Collection Research Center’s University Archives in February ...

By Grace Wagner, Reading Room Access Services Supervisor “Dr. Mary Walker may be eccentric, but she is no fool. On election day, she offered her vote in Oswego; and it was refused on account of her sex. A bystander remarked that, if Mary was allowed to vote, ‘they might as well dress up all their women-folks ...

By Ari Spatola, University Archives Graduate Assistant Throughout this past year of working for the University Archives at the Special Collections Research Center, I’ve been tasked with processing quite a few Greek life organization collections. In general, I’m always excited to process new collections because any experience is helping me transition from “baby” archivist to archivist, ...

By Tiffany Miller, Aisha Pierre, and Nora Ramsey, the Public Services Assistant Team Tiffany Working at the Special Collections Research Center for the past two years as one of the Public Services Assistants was one of the most incredible work experiences I have ever had. The staff is incredibly kind, helpful, and everyone has a wonderful sense ...

Aisha Pierre, Reference Assistant As a child, I remember my grandparents traveling to Florida every summer to visit the Kennedy Space Center. They would return home with gifts of signed photographs from astronauts in training, with pins and patches from the lunar missions. It was not long before I became obsessed! The idea of the bravery ...

Georgette Covasa, MLIS Student and SCRC Intern Becoming involved with the environment around me is something I particularly enjoy as a student. The spaces you belong to and the places you visit outside of the classroom are just as critical to the university experience as the schoolwork itself. This engagement impacts how you feel about your ...

By Nora Ramsey, Reference Assistant Working among the collections for most of my time at Syracuse University as a graduate student has given me many unique and interesting perspectives on libraries, archives, and the materials held within them. However, my time here has also made me aware of a gap in collecting focus.  While applying for a ...