After looking at many different areas in the library, anyone can quickly see that there is a lot of Penn State memorabilia and trivia all over the place. From the (recently moved!) stuffed lion in the lobby to the pictures and information all about the library and exhibits on past Penn Staters, we can see that there is so much out there to learn about our school. But how often do we actually go out of our way to learn about the rich history around us? In this post I want to let you know about our school’s history and where learning more about Penn State is possible.
When on my tour of the Special Collections section (blogged about in my last post), I mentioned the cold storage and the collection of both black and white and color photographs. Many of these photos are of Penn State and the surrounding area, as are much of the maps in the map room. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has gone around Rec Hall looking at the photographs of old sports teams and therefore, I can’t be the only one who finds older photos to be interesting and enlightening. That being said, I was intrigued by the photo collections, a growing number of which have been posted online, and I believe that many of you will find them both entertaining and enlightening as well.
When looking at the online database, it seems to reflect the spirit one sees all around Penn State. Specifically, there are lots of pictures featuring PSU athletics, which Michelle mentioned was also the case for the pictures in storage. This makes sense though, since it’s pretty easy to photograph sporting events and teams. My favorite pictures are those that show the evolution of the Nittany Lion mascot, which are featured prominently in the athletics pictures. Picture collections, whether online or in person, are a great way to see the documentation of our University’s history, and not to mention just fun to page through and see what those before us were doing.
Another fun resource found on the library’s web pages is a catalogue of all the digitized copies of La Vie, the Penn State yearbook (copies of the yearbook are also in the special collections library). When I accessed the yearbooks online, I went right to the oldest copy (naturally) to see all the differences between the first and more recent yearbooks. I think my favorite page of the old yearbook was the “Yells” page, which listed the chants for each of the classes from ’89 to ’92. The ’89 yell goes:
“Haec! Hoc!
Eighty-Nine!
Every Time!
Roo! Rah!”
I’m not kidding. Now, the yearbook did not detail whether or not this was a serious chant, but I’m personally quite glad that we have our “We are!” instead of “Roo Rah!” It was also crazy to see the small amount of people in each class. It’s a far cry from the many campuses, medical centers, law schools, and thousands of undergraduates and graduates alike that now populate the Penn State community. The design, of course, is quite different as well. No photographs grace the pages, and cute plate designs decorate many of the introductory pages. Looking at the 2000 yearbook online, the graphics, photographs, and geometric use of text immediately catches the eye, which contrasts strongly with the whimsical designs and some hand-written entries in the 1890 yearbook. Combined with the lengthier list of fraternities (and the addition of sororities), the amazing list of student programs, and the extended text in general, it is easy to see how our alma mater has progressed. You can check out the yearbooks online for yourself by visiting the Penn State Libraries’ website.
Another way to see the progress of our university is to see the physical expansion of the school through the buildings, architecture and landscaping. The Penn State Landmarks are highlighted on the library website along with many more historical pieces focusing on Penn State, from its presidents to the history of the Nittany Lion. The oral histories on the page in particular seem like a unique and amazing resource to be examined. You can find all of these sources on the Penn State Libraries’ website.
I hope that with this post I have ignited a little interest in Penn State history in all of you. I think we sometimes take our school and all of its amazing history and resources for granted, and we should be sure to take the time to discover all our school and our library have to offer– often these resources are at our very fingertips with online access. So go forth and learn!