Fleeing the Coming Storm

The official papers of Representative Michael J. Kirwan (D-19th Ohio), which are currently being processed by Archives & Special Collections, contain a substantial volume of correspondence between the congressman and his constituents. Among these letters are those from local residents pleading with Kirwan for assistance in obtaining asylum for friends and relatives desperate to flee [...]

Turning Points in YSU History, by Brian Brennan

See also: YSU History Timeline

Historical Video Selections of the Month

YSU Video selections from VodPod

Create your Video Collection at VodPod

History and Future of Archival Thought and Practice

When I’m asked what I do for a living and respond that I am an archivist, the usual response is, “so you’re a librarian,” (if I don’t get the deer in the headlights look first). This prompts me to delve into my ever-expanding lecture on, “what is an archivist.” This lecture has evolved and metamorphosed [...]

Jamboozled by the Jambar

Spring is in the air and how wonderful is it to see not just nature coming back to life but also some old traditions that, fortunately, have not been forgotten. Tuesday morning, for my usually routine, I grab three Jambars, one for me and two for the Archives; however on this Tuesday morning, being April [...]

Website Review: National Security Archive

One of the great things of the Internet (among many others) is the availability of primary source material. For the aspiring historian or the investigative reporter, there is no replacement for hard cold facts. Many of the great stories of the last century would have been brushed off for lack of evidence and as a [...]

Congressman Kirwan’s own story

From 1937 to his death in 1970, Michael J. Kirwan represented the 19th Congressional District of Ohio in the United States House of Representatives. Several years after his death, Rep. Kirwan’s papers were deposited with Youngstown State University’s William F. Maag Library. Unfortunately, as YSU had no archival facility at the time, the congressman’s papers [...]

President Lincoln and the Musical Danas

One of the most interesting things about working in an archives, is finding local links to major historical events. I recently finished a collection that Music Professor John Turk donated. The materials in the collection were used to aid him in writing his book, The Musical Danas of Warren, Ohio. Anyone doing research on the [...]