Although the third floor of the Stapleton Library is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions on campus, the IUP Special Collections and University Archives remains open virtually and by advanced appointment for in-person research.
The collections are open to students, university employees, alumni, community members, and visiting researchers by contacting the department, using its web resources to decide the archival collections, and working with faculty and staff to plan their research. One recent researcher, for instance, worked with primary documents relating to unionization in Western Pennsylvania, focusing mostly on coal mining and the steel industry. What primary sources do you need for your research?
TheArchivesisalsodocumenting the impact of COVID-19 onthe university and surroundingcommunity. Anyone is welcome to donate documents, photographs, recordings, reflections, scrapbooks, and social media posts relevant to the pandemic to become part of a new archival collection. Alongside existing archival collections related to the 1918 influenza pandemic and World War One, COVID-19 resources will provide invaluable to future research. How has COVID-19 changed your perspective? Write about it, document it, and donate it!
The IUP Special Collections and University Archives focuses on collecting, organizing, and providing access to resources relevant to the history of the university and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The department holds primary sources related to IUP history, manuscript collections about individuals, organizations, and businesses in Pennsylvania, and a large collection of rare books. These include records of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company, unions, transportation, the American Civil War, and World War Two.
Remember to wear your mask, and make your research appointment by contacting Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist Harrison Wick by email at hwick@iup.edu or visit the department website at www.iup.edu/archives, Special Collections and University Archives.