Major Highlights

New acquisitions include the papers of 22 former congressmen who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and 41 legislators who served in the New York State Assembly and Senate, and the personal papers of acclaimed actor and teacher, Harold Gould '47.

The National Death Penalty Archive, maintained by Special Collections and Archives in collaboration with the Capital Punishment Research Initiative, added the papers and research materials of Michael A. Mello, attorney for famous "Death Row" inmates Joseph Robert "Crazy Joe" Spaziano, Theodore Bundy, and Paul Hill.

The new Information Commons was launched, bringing together professional assistance, robust software, and a variety of research resources to support and enhance student learning and research.

"Converting and Preserving the Scholarly Record" was the theme of the 8th Annual Symposium on Scholarly Communication, featuring Jeffrey L. Horrell, Dean of Libraries, Dartmouth College. He spoke on current efforts to convert the scholarly record into digital forms.

UAlbany Libraries continue to be ranked among the top 100 academic research libraries in North America, and among the top ten lenders of library materials to other libraries in New York State.

The Libraries provided unfettered access to students enrolled in Albany High School's International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

Grants

The Libraries received more than $127,000 from the New York State Department of Education in support of preservation activities and $27,000 in support for collection purchases from the Capital District Library Council.

Major Gifts

Commitments and donations to the Libraries totaled $800,000, a significant fund-raising increase over the previous year.