University Archives History

The first University Archivist, Ruth Simmons gazing a bust of Millard Fillmore

A brief intro to the history of the UB Archives:

The University Archives, established in 1964 by President Clifford C. Furnas, is the repository of the historically valuable records of the State University of New York at Buffalo and its predecessor, the University of Buffalo (1846-1962). The holdings of the Archives document the growth of the University from a small medical school in 1846 to the large, comprehensive public university that it is today.

Our collections:

Occupying more than 5,000 linear feet, the archival holdings of the State University of New York at Buffalo register the many changes in American higher education over the past 160 years. Among the earliest documents housed in the Archives is the Stock Subscription Book, opened in the office of Buffalo lawyer G.B. Rich in 1846 to secure funds to start the University of Buffalo. The second signature on the subscription list is that of Millard Fillmore, who would serve the University as its Chancellor from 1846 until his death in 1874, during which he also served as Vice President and President of the United States.

Other early records of the University include the minutes of the Medical Faculty from 1846, the minutes of the University Council from 1855, and other records of the various professional schools which comprised the nineteenth-century University of Buffalo: Medicine, Law, Dentistry, and Pharmacy.

Today we actively collect the records of all the academic departments at UB. Complementing our collection of academic records, we also pursue the private papers of administrators, faculty members, and other individuals closely associated with the University. These papers reflect not only the activities of the University but also the personal and research interests of the faculty.

In order to support the teaching, research, and service missions of the university we also collect the papers of prominent people, records of area organizations and events, and some local publications.

University Archivists, Shonnie Finnegan and Christopher Densmore, in the stacks, c1980s

Christopher Densmore with Senior Clerk, Lois Bagel, c1980s.

UB Libraries --- University at Buffalo Archives: HOME --- About us --- University Archives history

University Archives 420 Capen Hall - Buffalo, NY 14260
Phone: 716-645-2916 -- Fax: 716-645-3714
Email: lib-archives@buffalo.edu
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/archives/uahistory.html
Last updated 15 November 2005
Images used on this website are ©University Archives, State University of New York at Buffalo