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. Once an advisor to President Woodrow Wilson and a national leader in higher education, Capen was also prolific letter writer. The private letters he wrote almost daily to his wife while he was traveling were donated to the collection by his daughter.