University Libraries

By Katy Kelly

Thanks to donor-supported digitization and the University of Dayton Libraries’ technological innovation, anyone can access a new searchable index (go.udayton.edu/fncr) of UD's student newspaper, Flyer News.

Gifts received on UD’s annual giving day — One Day, One Dayton — fund ongoing digitization efforts of Flyer News and its predecessor, University of Dayton News. Over a period of three years, we uploaded content published between 1955 and 1992 to eCommons, UD’s institutional repository. The searchable index includes issues through 2013. When users search for something in the index, the results will either provide a link to the digital edition in which it appears or refer the user to the printed issue available in the University Archives.

Researching UD

In a variety of classes, UD history serves as the basis for assignments and research. Previously, students visited the University Archives in Albert Emanuel Hall to use a designated computer to look up articles and topics. Kristina Schulz, university archivist, co-led the creation of the index.

“This tool will help students and researchers locate historical facts and stories about UD,” Schulz said. “The index provides access to firsthand accounts, coverage of important events and stories of the student experience.”

Teresa Saxton, a senior lecturer in the Department of English, regularly uses and teaches with the index for her sport literature and culture course. “Students pair sports coverage from the index to explore how the UD community values and supports our sports teams,” Saxton said. “The historical research gives them a new perspective, and the online index has helped them do this research independently and often with more depth.”

Interesting Finds

You can search the index at go.udayton.edu/fncr by person or article title or author, or try the subject list to browse topics. The index also searches issues of Campus Report, a newsletter for employees.

The co-lead and engineer behind the index is David Beeler, emerging technologies specialist in the University Libraries. While testing the index, he came across an interesting Flyer News article from 1977. “The article talks about a gas shortage the year prior, and although many of the campus boilers could use oil or gas, the library could only use gas,” Beeler shared. “They kept the fluorescent lights on 24 hours a day to keep the building warmish (50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) so they wouldn't have to close.” 

What stories will you find and share with your fellow Flyers? Both publications provide an in-the-moment historical record of the University, and Flyer News in particular provides snapshots of student life and cultural trends over time. Beeler added, “It is also interesting to see the advertisements, prices of things like new cars and the very random posts in the classifieds.”

Explore more about our award-winning libraries by visiting our new academic excellence page: Your UD Libraries.

— Katy Kelly is a professor in the University Libraries and assistant dean of strategic communication and outreach.

Article photo: Flyer News, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Sept. 11, 2009).