Drexel Archives

During Drexel's break between summer and fall terms, September 6-16, the University Archives will be open by appointment only.  If you want to do research on Drexel history, please contact us to schedule an appointment.  We are closed for Labor Day on Monday September 5.

On the first day of fall classes, September 19, we will return to our regular session schedule: weekday afternoons from 1-5 and mornings by appointment.

Enjoy the break, students and teachers!  We'll see you when you get back.

Our latest exhibition, "Researching Diversity at Drexel," opened August 10. This week we'll be hosting an opening reception with coffee and conversation about researching and documenting diversity. The reception will take place in the atrium of the W.W. Hagerty Library (33rd and Market Streets) on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 5 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Drexel opened its doors in 1891 as a technical school dedicated to educating men and women students of all races, religions, and backgrounds. However, the history of diversity at Drexel, as at any institution, is complex.

1872 telegram to George A Custer

iSchool student and archives intern Phoebe Kowalewski writes about the joy of discovering something special in the archives.

A safe but sometimes chilly way of recallin

Here's a guest post from Archives intern Phoebe Kowalewski:

The papers of the late Belver Griffith have been processed and are now ready for research use.

A former professor at the iSchool, Belver Griffith is internationally recognized for his contributions in scientific communication, citation analysis and bibliometrics. He became a Drexel faculty member in 1969.

Here's a guest post from Archives intern Carolyn Halper:

The Drexel University Track and Cross-Country records have been processed and are now ready for research use.

This collection holds Drexel's Track and Field photos, newspaper clippings, and administrative records dating from 1946 to 1994. The collection includes a number of event results and rosters, sports memos, and track meet programs, including those from the ECC and IC4A.

The Archives will be closed to researchers on Friday, July 15.  We'll return all your calls and email on Monday morning. Have a great weekend!

Drexel’s two-day commencement begins today. In honor of all the graduates, the Archives presents a new online exhibition, The History of Drexel Commencement. Created by Andrew Beck, an iSchool student and Archives volunteer, the exhibition presents materials from the Archives’ collections that document the ceremony, speakers and locations of this rite of passage.

To mark the opening of the Archives' newest exhibition, "Access for Everyone: Computing at Drexel, 1946 - 1984," Archives volunteer Martha Cornog explores one dimension of that history.

A Taste of Things to Come: Computing at Drexel, 1946-1984

By Martha Cornog

In 1983, Drexel made national headlines by requiring all students and faculty to have personal computers, the first major academic body to do so. Even the fashion-design majors in the Nesbitt College had to go tech, an increasingly accepted thing at the upper levels of that industry. “It’s really incredible how patternmakers have terminals right next to their sewing machines,” commented Bernard Sagik, Drexel’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, after visiting Christian Dior studios in New York.¹

Archives exhibition opening reception today

Wednesday, May 11 • 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Please join us for a reception to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition, "Access for Everyone: Computing at Drexel, 1946 – 1984" today, Wednesday, May 11th from 4 to 6 PM in W. W. Hagerty Library. The reception includes refreshments and a live demo of vintage computers, co-sponsored by TechServ.

Drexel University made history with its Microcomputer Project in 1984, which required all incoming freshman to purchase a personal computer.

Please join us for a reception to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition, "Access for Everyone: Computing at Drexel, 1946 – 1984" on Wednesday, May 11th from 4 to 6 PM in W. W. Hagerty Library. The reception is free and open to the public and includes refreshments and a live demo of vintage computers, co-sponsored by TechServ.

Drexel University made history with its Microcomputer Project in 1984, which required all incoming freshman to purchase a personal computer.