The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2022 OHRAB Achievement Award is the Archives and Special Collections of University Libraries at The University of Akron.

During The University of Akron’s sesquicentennial anniversary year from May 31, 2020, to June 1, 2021, the staff and faculty of the Archives and Special Collections preserved and made available important archival resources documenting the long history of the University.  The staff overcame difficulties created by the pandemic, mass protests over the killing of George Floyd, and limited staff and resources to make their collections more accessible to the campus, the community, and the public for research and study. 

The Archives and Special Collections completed multiple projects across a broad range of formats and subjects.  The staff curated four online exhibits on The University of Akron’s history, including “Peace & Power: Black Activism at The University of Akron.”  In addition, they digitized and uploaded nearly 27,000 items from the archives to their digital repository, including nearly 20,000 university photographs, over 5,500 issues of the student newspaper, and nearly 100 volumes of student yearbooks. 

The staff provided research and support for several sesquicentennial-related projects sponsored by the campus and the community, such as the University history docu-series “Keeping the Lamp of Learning Burning.”  Staff also collaborated with the Department of History and team taught an oral history class that recorded twelve oral history interviews on inclusion and diversity that are available online. 

To view the online collections, visit the Archives and Special Collections website at:  https://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives/ [uakron.edu]

OHRAB congratulates the staff and faculty of the Archives and Special Collections of University Libraries at The University of Akron for their accomplishments and wishes them continued success in their efforts to preserve the history of Ohio.