Archives and CMU History

Student Advisory Council Celebrates Living History Through Student Organizations

As the 2025 spring semester comes to a close, the 2024-2025 Libraries Student Advisory Council (LSAC) is putting the finishing touches on their year-long archiving project to collect and preserve artifacts from student groups on campus. On Tuesday, April 22, join LSAC from 5–7 p.m. in Hunt Library’s IDeATe Studio B as they showcase primary sources and other historic materials in “Living History: Tracing CMU Culture Through Student Organizations.”

How a Student Worked with the Architecture Archives to Save Rare CMU Blueprints

Before winter break, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences first-year Ryan Tosh found a large trash bag filled with architectural drawings depicting buildings on CMU’s campus in the KGB’s office during a cleaning session.

Meet the Libraries’ Student Workers

At the University Libraries, more than 30 students are part of the team that keeps facilities open and services available for the CMU community. These students staff the circulation desks at both Hunt and Sorrells libraries, serve as Stacks Assistants, assist the University Archives and the Sustainability Initiative with processing collections and engaging in outreach, and more.

One Page at a Time

The “Like, Totally Transformative” exhibit in the Hunt Library Gallery used the Tartan student newspaper to paint a picture of life on campus in the 1980s. To tell that story, the exhibit team relied on the work of the Digitization Lab, which spent nearly twelve years bringing the university's student history online.

From the Archives: Historic Physics and Mathematics Research Preserved

Physics professor Zener, along with his colleague, mathematics professor Richard Duffin, influenced a generation of scientists and mathematicians during their tenure at CMU — from Nobel Prize winners and Wolf Prize winners to department heads. Through their own work, they revolutionized operations research and modern electronics, kickstarting the discipline of geometric programming and laying the foundation for countless new fields and future innovations.

Meet the 2024–2025 Libraries Student Advisory Council

This fall, the newest cohort of the Libraries Student Advisory Council (LSAC) has begun meeting to expand opportunities for communication between the Libraries and the CMU student body. A team of undergraduate and graduate students from across campus will partner with the University Archives, focusing on documenting student life and the importance of preserving present-day CMU history by collecting key materials from a variety of student organizations.

Libraries Celebrates Student Publications with Exhibit, Forum

On September 3, a new pop-up exhibit opened on the fourth floor of Hunt Library to celebrate the history and innovation of student publications across CMU. “EXTRA! EXTRA! Student Publications Through the Years” features 31 issues and covers created by students, including both contemporary publications and historic publications provided by the University Archives.

Retro Exhibit Explores Computers, Campus in the ‘80s

“Like, Totally Transformative: CMU in the ‘80s” exhibit explores how President Richard Cyert's vision at the start of the decade helped turn CMU from a regional university into an international leader in innovation, technology, and the arts where robotics, computer software, and the Internet became integral parts of the campus.

Seeking Members for Student Advisory Council

The University Libraries Student Advisory Council is seeking new membership for the 2024-2025 academic year. All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply.

“Here to Stay”—An Exploration of Pittsburgh’s Architectural History

The Carnegie Mellon University Architecture Archives exhibition, “Here to Stay: Celebrating 40 Years at the Architecture Archives 1984-2024,” celebrates the 40th anniversary of the archives, which was founded to create, conserve, and promote the rich history of Pittsburgh’s buildings and tell part of the story of this dynamic city.

Related: Archives and CMU History