University Libraries

By Katy Kelly

“Go to the source” is a saying that means to find the origin of a piece of information. UD’s academic excellence, teaching and research is now enhanced with access to an online local news archive.

Current University of Dayton students, faculty and staff can now access, search and browse the Dayton Daily News Archive (1898-current). Since 1898, the Dayton Daily News has reported on historical events as the evening paper for the residents of Dayton. 

“In the past we’ve had incomplete coverage of historical issues of the Dayton Daily News, outside of microfilm,” said Tina Beis, associate professor and director of collections strategies and services in the University Libraries. “Faculty and students have sought easier online access in the past, but the only available product was out of reach for the Libraries to finance it alone.”

Sam Dorf, professor of musicology and current Alumni Chair in Humanities, enhances the resources available to humanities faculty through the Alumni Chair’s library fund. “I asked what was on the library’s wish list, and let’s find a way to make it happen,” Dorf said. “We wanted it to be something beneficial for all types of disciplines, especially those in the humanities, and to support our amazing faculty as they develop new courses and conduct research with our students. We are also so glad that this is a resource that the whole region can take advantage of by visiting our library.”

As a result, student projects will be enhanced by their access to the archive, which features full PDF scans of the newspaper pages. The content on each page is searchable, so mentions of historical events, local businesses, street names and more can be easily found.

Local research extends beyond the classroom — all UD employees have access to the archive. “I found my parents’ wedding announcement from 1967,” shared Maureen Schlangen, e-scholarship and communications manager in the University Libraries. “Right underneath it is an ad for Leonard J. Schear Builders, which built their first home less than three years later in the very same neighborhoods being advertised. The picture of the home in the ad is the design of the home I grew up in.”

Whether members of the UD community are needing to “go to the source,” develop creative research assignments, or explore their own history or Dayton’s, the humanities fund is making it possible.

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

Roesch Library’s two visitor computers have access to the DDN archive and most of the subscription-based research databases. View more information for visitors not affiliated with UD.

• Learn more about the University Libraries by visiting our academic excellence page.
• Explore more about the Alumni Chair in the Humanities.