Archives and CMU History

Here to Stay: Celebrating 40 Years at the Architecture Archives

Duration

November 14, 2026 07:07 - November 14, 2026 07:07

Archives Most Wanted

The Carnegie Mellon University Archives is home to more than 100 years of CMU history — but it doesn’t tell the full story of the university. Founded in 1988, the Archives is relatively new compared to other academic archives at similar institutions, and is still missing documentation of various student groups and campus initiatives. In addition, traditional collecting methods have led to a collection of materials, records, and artifacts that skews predominantly straight, white, and male.

Robotics Project Highlighted in “American Libraries”

On March 1, American Library Association magazine “American Libraries” highlighted the Robotics Project, a multi-phase, multi-year partnership between the University Libraries and the School of Computer Science to create a home for the past, present, and future of robotics. The piece explores the work that the University Archives has done to collect, organize, and preserve CMU’s collection in the Digital Robotics Archive.

Oldest Living Library Worker Tells All*

I may not be the oldest library employee in years, but I am in years served. 41 years ago, I applied for a job at CMU Libraries. This was before the Internet, so I answered a Help Wanted newspaper ad. Human Resources required a typing test, and I think I impressed them with my 80 words-per-minute, accurate typing - especially when I showed them my right hand. I’d accidentally and painfully closed my thumb in a car door a week before. It was past the point of hurting, but my blue thumbnail still looked ugly enough that the interviewer recoiled in disgust and respect.

The Robotics Project Celebrates Field Robotics at 40

On October 20 and 21, current and former faculty, staff, and students gathered to reminisce about their time at the Field Robotics Center (FRC) at “The Robotics Project Celebrates Field Robotics at 40” during the FRC’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Event Recording: Heading to the Point: A Journey through History

On November 15, the University Libraries and Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Wanda Heading-Grant hosted "Heading to the Point: A Journey through History, Exploring the Black Urban Experience in Pittsburgh." The event featured a conversation between Heading-Grant and Giant Eagle University Professor of History and Social Justice Joe William Trotter, Jr. A recording of the event is now available.

From the University Archives: Joe William Trotter, Jr. Papers

This fall, the Carnegie Mellon University Archives is processing the academic papers of Giant Eagle University Professor of History and Social Justice Joe William Trotter, Jr. With the addition of this collection to the Archives, Trotter’s research on social justice and the Black urban experience will become accessible for a new generation of scholars working to build a more equitable future for all.

“The Robotics Project Celebrates Field Robotics at 40” Photo Gallery

Current and former faculty, staff, and students gathered to reminisce about their time at the Field Robotics Center (FRC) at “The Robotics Project Celebrates Field Robotics at 40” during the FRC’s 40th anniversary celebration.

From the Archives: Synchrocyclotron Anniversary

The University Archives documents more than 100 years of groundbreaking and exciting CMU history — including photos, annual reports, correspondence, and other records showcasing the then-Carnegie Institute of Technology’s Nuclear Research Center, featuring a synchrocyclotron. This year, 2023, marks the 75th year since builders broke ground on this historic particle accelerator.

Related: Archives and CMU History

Preserving Pittsburgh’s Jewish History

As a part of the larger Pittsburgh community, Carnegie Mellon’s past is entwined with the culture and heritage of its neighbors, and some of these collections capture the history of those neighbors as well. The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspapers is one such resource.