Extra, Extra, Preserving Student Newspapers

As the academic year comes to an end, the Monsignor Field Archives and Special Collections Center is pleased to announce the completion of a year long project aimed at providing much needed preservation to ensure the longevity of student newspapers.

Even though it was John Erigena Robinson who had initially dreamed of a student newspaper called the Setonian, it would be 51 years later that his dream would be the same of others who were able to bring this vision to print. From 1924 to the present, student journalism has been an enduring and integral part of student life at Seton Hall University. The newspapers produced by students serve as a powerful platform for expression. They provide valuable insights into the social, cultural and educational environment of the South Orange campus, as well as at the campuses in Newark, Jersey City and Paterson. Specifically, these newspapers aimed to foster a sense of community, advocate for change and shape the discourse between students, faculty, staff and administrators. They also captured key moments and sentiments by students, for students - stories that would otherwise go unrecorded, leaving Seton Hall University’s history void of the voices it was created to serve.

This project which was funded under the Idea Hall initiative through the Office of the Provost was aimed at addressing preservation issues by rehousing student newspapers in archival-quality materials, cataloging all issues in ArchivesSpace, completing the digitization of the Setonian and integrating these resources into educational settings through class visits. While the Setonian, the Diplomatic Envoy and the Stillman Exchange were the target of preservation measures as they are the longest running student newspapers, others included are The Seton Call, The Urbanews, The Seton Voice, The Hazard, The Hall's Echo and the Liberty Bell. Many of these captured the student life taking place at the campuses in Newark, Jersey City and Paterson where the student body was co-ed. Additionally, when the Setonian was banned in March 1964, it was The Seton Call that reported on the events of a protest that took place, providing insight from the student perspective which would be otherwise unrecorded.

While it is only the Setonian that has undergone digitization, it is the hope of the Monsignor Field Archives and Special Collections Center to digitize the other student newspapers. Due to the acidic nature of newspaper, they are inherently fragile and susceptible to quick deterioration. While rehousing will slow down this deterioration, digitizing the remaining student newspapers would further help to preserve the content and to create access copies that can be retrieved and used by anyone. In turn, this helps to protect and ensure the longevity of the physical copy.

This project has also highlighted missing issues of all student newspapers. However, as time goes on, donations are received such as the one from the Family of Franklin Matthew Rogers ’41. This donation consisted of a group of Setonians which allowed the Archives to add important second copies to the collection, as well as adding the first copies of issues which have never been held before such as April 21, 1939; May 5, 1939; May 3, 1940; February 14, 1941; April 25, 1941; and May 16, 1941.

These student newspapers are vital to the telling of Seton Hall University history and can serve as the perfect place to start research. Digitized copies of the Setonian are available through the Seton Hall University eRepository and can be accessed by anyone anywhere. To see some highlights of the student journalism and student newspapers, check out the online display.

For anyone interested in the other student newspapers mentioned previously, email [email protected].

Categories: Arts and Culture, Campus Life