Under Finnegan's direction, University Archives grew from a single, cluttered room in the old Lockwood Library to occupying half of the fourth floor of Capen Hall, with some spillover in a nearby warehouse. Packaged delicately in acid-neutral boxes are 7,000 linear feet of documents, photographs, memorabilia and microfiche, more than seven million items in all. Sunlight, temperature and humidity are all enemies of document preservation, so much attention is paid to the climate-controlled conditions in the archives, explains Finnegan. University Archives has grown to be much more than just a storehouse for official university matters. I'd recognize their handwriting instantly.
History is more than just official papers of the presidents of the university.
Finnegan says her fascination with archival history grows from her academic background in rhetorical analysis in English Literature. Preservation is another high priority to an archivist. In the midst of all that, I was running around picking up leaflets and other things off the floor to save. It houses the official papers of several local political leaders, including former Buffalo-area Congressman and Presidential Candidate Jack Kemp. Martin, Finnegan explains, was a compulsive letter writer and was so meticulous that he even indexed his personal diaries, which are also in the collection.