Let's Explore the Archives

Step in between the stacks — and step back in time

By Natalie Nemes

Beneath the feet of dozens of St. Kate’s students who visit the library on a daily basis, researching for their upcoming papers, desperately cramming for impossible exams and tirelessly collaborating on endless group projects, lies a carefully preserved piece of history packaged in acid-free folders and locked in a climate-controlled room. Our university’s archives, located in the library basement, contain thousands of documents and other artifacts pertaining to the history of the university as well as various materials belonging to special collections.

Despite all that lies in the archives waiting to be discovered, many students might not even realize that they exist. This was the case for both myself and Victoria Klesk ‘23 (English) before we began utilizing the archives for research for our internship with the O’Neill Center last semester. Tasked with unearthing the history of the center’s growth, we came across pages and pages of documentation that had passed under the pens of those staff members who had shaped the center into what it is today.

“I think it was a very valuable experience, and it was a privilege to be able to interact with that — those documents and those pieces of history,” Klesk said. “I was literally holding history in my hands.”

Over several weeks, we sifted through handwritten notes, decades-old meeting agendas and annual reports from as early as the 1970s. We looked through faded programs, flyers dated by their graphic design and yearbooks from before the university stopped publishing them. Perhaps most captivating of all, we discovered a few select photographs of the O’Neill Center when it was still just a fledgling learning center in Whitby’s sub-basement. It was fascinating to learn the history of the center firsthand, to piece it together from dozens of pages accumulated over the years and to research the gaps in the narrative.

But obviously, I knew there was so much more to the archives than the box or so of papers we poured over during our research process. Every time Amy Shaw, head of archives and special collections, would assist us in our process by leaving our small research room and venturing into the archival rooms themselves to retrieve more materials, I would catch a glimpse of the long shelves stretching back in rows as the door swung open and shut. In my endless curiosity (and nosiness), I spoke with Shaw to learn more about the archives, what they hold and what they are used for.

Shaw explained that people use the archives for all kinds of different projects, from formal academic research to personal research about family history. For example, students in the library science program often use the archives for their digital libraries class. Undergraduates who utilize the archives sometimes do so for their honors projects; history majors who are working on their capstone projects may also find the archives to be a valuable resource.

In one particular instance, a student used the archives for a case study of an important historical figure in our St. Kate’s community. “There was a senior history major who wrote a paper and made a small exhibit about Sr. Antonius Kennelly and her chemistry work and her degree in Munich and all that,” Shaw said. Kennelly studied at the University of Munich in Germany to earn her Ph.D. in chemistry before becoming St. Kate’s third president from 1943 to 1949, according to the archives’ website.

Surprising me, during our interview, Shaw graciously offered to give me a brief tour of the archives themselves. As it turns out, there is more than I would have imagined that a small college’s archives could hold. From an ancient handwritten book dating back to the 15th century to a shawl knitted by Dorothy Day herself, the archives contain something to awe every kind of history nerd. Below are some of my favorites to ensnare your imagination.

*Amy Shaw poses with scales used by Sr. Antonius Kennelly, the university’s third president. Kennelly earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in Munich during the 1930s, according to the archives’ website.*

A scarf famous Catholic activist Dorothy Day knitted and gifted to Ade Bethune, who worked with Day on the newspaper the Catholic Worker. The note on top of the scarf reads, “This scarf was knit by Dorothy Day when she stopped smoking. It was given by her to Ade Bethune, who brought it to Minnesota in December, 1990.”

*A scrapbook created by students. Amy Shaw estimates it dates back to the 1930s.*

To explore the archives yourself and see artifacts like these firsthand, email the archives at archives@stkate.edu to schedule an appointment. You can also visit the archives’ website to learn more, or browse their digital collections from the comfort of your own home. History waits for you to discover it.