Milne Library's Alden Room is the home of many treasures that document the history of the College and student life beginning with the College's foundation as the Oneonta Normal School in 1889. The room is named in honor of Jessica Alden, the first librarian at the Oneonta Normal School. Yearbooks, newspapers, and other student publications as well as photographs, scrapbooks, office and department documents, sorority pins and other memorabilia, and a biography file comprise the archives.
In addition, there is an extensive lantern slide collection as well as numerous special book collections: New York State histories, Faculty Publications, Masters Theses, Early Textbooks, O'Mara Native American Collection, New York State Verse, Cornell-Gladstone-Hanlon-Kaufmann Collection, Popular Fiction, Private Press Publications, and Special Collections Miscellanies.
All of these materials are available for you to research or browse. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about a particular topic or collection, simply contact Heather Stalter or Sophia Donne, Special Collections Team co-leaders.
You can also learn more by checking out the Special Collections Guide.
Many materials in the Archives and Special Collections are rare, fragile, or irreplaceable. To ensure their protection and good condition for future generations, all visitors to the Alden Room are asked to follow these guidelines.