Archives and Special Collections

In addition to Christmas and snow, Purdue students know that December means finals.  Students are filling study spaces across campus as they prepare for exams and term papers, just as they have throughout Purdue’s history.  Can you identify this location filled with studying students, what it was called, and where it was located?  Share your […]

Many buildings have been part of Purdue’s campus landscape over the years.  Some became institutional landmarks while others were here only briefly, built to serve a specific purpose for a limited period of time.  Can you identify the structures in this photograph, their purpose, and where they were located?  Share your theories in the comments […]

An Open House and Reception for the “Missing You: Navigating Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight and Enduring Legacy” exhibition at Purdue University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections (ASC) is set from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The ASC is located in the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library, Stewart Center, on the fourth floor. The […]

Clubs have always been an important part of student life at Purdue.  This photo provides a glimpse into the activities of one club and includes its most famous member.  Can you identify the club and one of the men in this image? Share your theories in the comments and check back on Friday for the […]

Throughout Purdue’s history, students, faculty, and staff have enjoyed recreational activities on all parts of campus.  This photograph shows one of the more popular activities that was enjoyed throughout the year.  Can you tell what is happening here, when, and where this picture was taken?  Share your theories in the comments and we’ll reveal the whole story […]

As the State Street Project continues to update the appearance of Purdue and West Lafayette, we look back on another construction project that changed the area. Can you guess what is being built in this photo, where it is located, and when this photo was taken?  Share your ideas in the comments and check back […]

It’s football season, which means it’s band season. The “All-American” Marching Band has been a Purdue tradition since the 1880s and has seen thousands of proud Boilermakers join its ranks. This young member of the band went on to become one of Purdue’s most recognizable graduates, but can you identify him before he was famous? […]

The Archivist of the United States, David S. Ferriero, will share the many information preservation challenges and opportunities faced by the nation in the Inaugural Hiler Theater Lecture sponsored by the Purdue University Libraries. Ferriero, confirmed as the 10th archivist of the United States in November 2009, will deliver, “Preserving the Past to Inform the […]

  The From the Archives photo series returns with the start of the new school year. On alternating Mondays throughout the academic year, we will feature a photo from Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections in conjunction with Purdue Today and give readers a chance to answer what’s taking place in the image. The full […]

The research paper is a fact of life in college. If you have completed a college-level class, it’s almost guaranteed you have received a syllabus that instructed you to format a paper according to a particular academic style and directed you to turn in a double-digit-page composition citing at least three-to-five (or more) sources. While […]

The academic year has ended and summer is upon us.  For our final From the Archives post until fall, we present a campus photo that fully embodies summer.  Do you remember where on campus you could find this scene?  What’s there now?  Share your guesses and memories in the comments and check back on Thursday […]

Graduation is almost upon us, so what better time to look back at other graduations in Purdue’s past?  Here you can see Purdue students proceeding to their graduation ceremony, but can you tell where and when this photo taken?  What clues led you to your answers?  Share your ideas in the comments and check back […]

Throughout the history of Purdue, its students have created and participated in many long-running traditions. What tradition is shown in this photo, and where did this activity occur? Share your theories in the comments and check back on Friday for the reveal!

Today we share the second photograph in our From the Archives series.  This photo shows a moment that changed the face of Purdue’s campus.  What exactly is happening in this image and what was its result?  Take a close look, share your theories in the comments, and be sure to check back on Friday for […]

In association with Purdue Today, we introduce our new From the Archives series, sharing glimpses of Purdue’s past through photographs from the Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections.  On alternating Mondays during the academic year, this feature will allow readers a chance to view a historical photograph and guess what is taking place in the […]

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded $1.4M to date to support a unique approach to global grand challenges research, scholarly publishing and communication at Purdue.Purdue Scholarly Publishing, a division of Purdue Libraries, and the Purdue Policy Research Institute have announced the final proposals selected for funding under the grant “Breaking Through: Developing Multidisciplinary Solutions […]

It’s a sign… that the new Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) will open in 2017! Located in the heart of campus, the WALC (when it opens later this year) will serve as a central location for classroom and library space. The 164,000-square-foot facility houses 27 classrooms designed for active learning. […]

Take the opportunity to explore the history, art, and science of maps and learn more about the people who created them and the individuals who use them at the Purdue University Libraries’ “Looking Down, Looking Out, and Looking Up: Maps and the Human Experience” exhibition through June 23. The exhibition is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. […]

The Hamilton Live, an event venue in Washington, D.C., assumed a vibration of a higher order on March 19, 2016. The softly lit, lower-level space located two blocks from the White House hummed with a palpable energy, and it is only when I look back on the experience that I feel fully its life-altering import. […]