Special Collections and Archives recently received organizational records of the Cal Poly Pride Center and the collection is available for research! The Records of the Cal Poly Pride Center (UA0081) includes six boxes of records dating from the 1970s –…
Written by Laura Sorvetti two months ago
A Look Back at Commencement: Fascinating Facts from the University Archives
It is the end of Spring Quarter which means that it is time to celebrate our graduates at Commencement! The Special Collections students assistants team has helped us gather a variety of interesting commencement facts and stories they discovered in…
Written by Courtney Thompson six months ago
Dexter: Cal Poly’s First Library
In anticipation of Kennedy Library’s renovation, let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about Cal Poly’s first library building, the Walter F. Dexter Memorial Library. Cal Poly had a library space since the campus opened in 1903. The…
Written by Courtney Thompson six months ago
Happy Valentine’s Day from Special Collections and Archives
Valentine’s Day seems to have polarized Cal Poly’s student body for decades. While some students are enthusiastic on the prospects of love, others mark its existence as the “most depressing day of the year.” For the past 100 years, the…
Written by Hailey Koetz eight months ago
Archives and Archiving in the Digital Age: What do you do with your 1996 CD-ROM?
Kennedy Library houses many things. It is a second home to thousands of students and an office to its staff and faculty. The library is also home to Special Collections and Archives, the official repository for university records, campus history,…
Written by Charlie Williams nine months ago
SLOmecoming: A look at Cal Poly’s Homecoming traditions
Charlie Williams (BA, ‘19) and Courtney Thompson (MA, ‘20) are student assistants in Special Collections and Archives. They curated an exhibit on Homecoming traditions through Cal Poly’s past. The original exhibit was placed on the second floor of Kennedy Library and…