Electronic Highways: 150 years of UB History

As the University at Buffalo commences its sesquicentennial this month, celebrate by visiting the University Archives homepage. This World Wide Web site is brimming with all types of tidbits from UB's past and will continue to grow as the sesquicentennial progresses. As a key component of the University Libraries Web site, the University Archives homepage is easy to find and even easier to search.

For example, scan the "University Timeline" and find out when Glenn Miller played at the Junior Prom, when the UB football team appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, and where and when the first Vietnam War student "sit in" protest occurred. In the "Origin of the University Colors" section find out why UB's official colors are "white and blue," not "blue and white." Go to "Fun Items from University History" and read the Freshman Rules from the late 1920s.

On a more serious note you will find the text of the Charter of the University at Buffalo, a descriptive listing of the "Past and Present Presidents of the University," and a copy of The Amherst Master Plan online. The University Archives which, as you will discover when exploring this site, are "among the most comprehensive in the United States" and the Web site provides the Archives staff with the opportunity to highlight its rich collections. For example, the University Archives Frank Lloyd Wright-Darwin Martin House collection which contains over 250 letters written by Wright, more than 2,000 letters by Martin, over 100 sheets of architectural plans and drawings, and more than 600 original photographs is described in detail for scholars contemplating a research visit.

To reach the University Archives Web site, type wings at your UB e-mail system prompt, and then type the URL http://wings.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/archives/ at the Go command. The same URL will be used by those who search the Web with a graphical browser such as Netscape. For assistance in connecting to the World Wide Web via UB computer accounts, contact the Computing Center's Help Desk at 645-3542. For more information on the University Archives or its Web site, contact Christopher Densmore, densmore@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu, University Archives, 645-2916.

-Gemma DeVinney and Don Hartman, University Libraries