Archivists from the four University of Nebraska campuses have collaborated to launch Nebraska Archives Online, a shared online database that provides access to finding aids and guides for the university’s unique archival and manuscript collections.
Through the work of the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries (UNCL), Nebraska Archives Online meets a longstanding need to provide a one-stop portal to these collections. It’s a resource meant to engage the public’s curiosity and improve the research process for students or anyone with a research need. The materials in each of the NU archives are available for anyone to use.
“Bringing together the University of Nebraska’s unique collections provides benefits to users of archives as well as the repositories. Folks visiting the archives in Kearney can now easily find material in Omaha and Lincoln,” said Amy Schindler, director of archives and special collections at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries.
The four archives and special collections repositories spent the last year migrating their individual databases into a single instance of the ArchivesSpace platform. The public now has a tool that provides descriptions of collections physically located across the university system with links to thousands of pages of documents and audio and video recordings. This includes over 3,500 records associated with unique collections and materials at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, UNMC, and UNO.
The University of Nebraska’s four archival repositories share a mission of long-term access and preservation of the historical record by maintaining millions of pages of documents, photographs, letters, policies, and material in all formats that answer questions, tell a story, and celebrate something unique about our university, our communities, and the state of Nebraska.
The UNMC repository within Nebraska Archives Online currently contains basic collection-level information on many of the university’s large collections, including university records, personal papers, Nebraska hospital collections, and the oral history collection.
The McGoogan Library, located on floors 6, 7, and 8 of Wittson Hall, will close for renovation on May 5 at 9 p.m. The library, including the special collections department, will remain closed until renovation is complete, with an anticipated reopening in 2020. Most of the special collections materials will be inaccessible. The special collections staff will make every effort to assist you with your research needs with digital resources. Please email history@unmc.edu for more information.