Bloomington mayor, IU celebrate archives month

Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan proclaimed October Archives and Special Collections Month at an event held at the Herman B Wells Library Tuesday evening.\nKruzan said much like postcards, which he said he collects, archives are a window into the past.\n"Every photo, every postcard that I own, it's like a time capsule," Kruzan said, as he stood in front of a picture of Wells blowing out the candles on his birthday cake on his 75th birthday. "I look at this photo of Dr. Wells, and it evokes so many memories and historical observations."\nWells was IU's 11th president and served from 1938 until 1962. He is credited by many for turning the University into the world-renowned research institution it is today.\nUniversity Archivist Phil Banton said he hopes the month's designation will increase awareness about what archives can do for the general public.\n"Professional archivists think we're in an identity crisis," he said. "The public in general don't know enough about what archives are, what archivists do and what kind of information is available in archives."\nArchives and Special Collections Month was celebrated in more than 30 states last year, but Banton said this is the first time it has been formally recognized in Bloomington.\nPat Steele, interim dean of University Libraries, said she hopes this won't be the last time archiving is discussed on campus. Plans that could focus on international collections are already under way for next October.\n"This is an opportunity to explore an endless number of topics over the years," she said.\nSix more events are planned throughout this month. At the next lecture titled "Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair," biographer Anthony Arthur will discuss the muckraking journalist's work and the research he conducted into Sinclair's life at the Lilly Library.\nThe event is open to the public and will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Lilly Library.