Happy New Year, Redbirds!

We’ve got a lot going on this term, including something big happening today. You might be reading this and thinking, “Wait a minute … the Archives blog looks a bit different.” Well, it is! As of today, we are switching our blog platform over to Stories. You’ll now be able to read and search us along with the other great blogs, articles, photographs, and notes from all corners of Illinois State University. What’s more exciting is we’ll be able to link our blog with other colleges, departments, and offices to share our Illinois State history and Archives news. We’ll also be importing our old blog entries into Stories so you can easily search our blog and find the Illinois State history or Archives info you need. This entry will be the last for our old platform, so if you are reading this via an RSS feed or other reader, be sure to update your link!

Something to watch for this term is our in-depth look at digital archives. We’ve talked about it here and have heard all of your questions. Our graduate student assistant, Samantha Wolter, will be doing a special exhibit in Milner Library on digital archives and why it is so important that we act now to save and preserve this data. We’ll also do a series of blogs, written by Wolter, that highlight different aspects of digital archives and what you can do now to preserve your materials. There will also be polls, and we’ll be looking for your feedback to help us further develop our campus digital archives plan. Stay tuned!

As always, we’ll be doing fun stories on Illinois State history, give you updates on the changes happening out here at the Archives, and post old photographs and pictures of artifacts. Is there something you want to know about or see on the Archives blog? Send us an email and let us know!

Finally, all of us here at Archives want to give a big shout to the Redbird football team who are preparing for their trip to Frisco, Texas, for the FCS Championship game this weekend! You have already made history and we can’t wait to see you make more! Go Redbirds!