Siena archives contain odds and ends of college history

Remember when the lacrosse team at Siena College in Loudonville went undefeated? How about the year their basketball team was ranked 11th in the nation?

If you don't, the dates can easily be found in the Siena Archives. "We provide just that sort of information," said Rev. Julian Davies, OFM, archivist of Siena and a professor of philosophy there.

But there are more significant items under his care as well, including a breviary that may be linked to a saint.

Number two

Father Davies has been the Siena archivist since 1997. There has been just one other, Rev. Sennen San Fratello, OFM.

"In those days, the archives were just a few bookcases in a hallway in the old [Jerome Dawson] library," Father Davies told The Evangelist.

Today, the archives and Special Collections Department are housed in the new J. Spencer and Patricia Standish Library.

Memories

According to Father Davies, the archives hold "anything published by the college" and exist "for the sole purpose of retaining the memory of events significant to Siena."

The archives consist of four parts:

* publications, like college catalogues, yearbooks, newspapers, alumni magazines, literary works, athletic yearbooks and programs, commencement programs, and minutes of the Board of Trustees' meetings;

* files and memorabilia from the presidents, faculty, benefactors, award recipients, and the history of the college and the Franciscans there.

* photographs of commencements and other significant events; and

* audio and video materials, such as tapes made by Brother Ben Kuhn, OFM, one of the founding friars who recorded the history of the Franciscans at Siena.

Old and new

In addition, the archives have a collection of Siena memorabilia, including blankets, hats, glasses, plates, cups, playing cards, rings and dance cards -- all with the Siena logo on them.

"We also store a display of medieval items owned by the English Department," he noted.

Visitors to the archives include staff and faculty, alumni and students, and anyone interested in the history of the college.

Checklist

When Father Davies became the archivist, his first job was to organize and prepare the archives for placement in the new library. That entailed making an inventory "to see what we had and what we were missing," he said.

Although significant archival material was available in the cabinets in the old library, collecting and maintaining accurate archives are a relatively new idea.

"Before the '60s, keeping archives wasn't that popular among the general public," he noted. Later, "there was an explosion of interest in archives being available to the public as a teaching tool," he said.

Missing pieces

While doing the inventory, the priest discovered that some editions of publications were missing, such as student literary magazines and alumni newspapers.

A search among faculty, alumni and friends of the college recovered some of the items, but he is "still searching for some of the older ones."

A member of the Society of American Archivists, he attends conferences annually where archivists discuss such issues as preservation of documents, climate control, and reconditioning and rebinding books.

Centuries ago

Of particular note at Siena is the oldest item in the archives: a 15th-century Franciscan breviary, in mint condition.

"This would have been used by a Franciscan friar who was traveling as a missionary," Father Davies explained. "Because of its small size, it was easily carried, as compared to the larger volumes of the day."

Some people think that the breviary was used by St. Bernardine of Siena, after whom the school is named. "We have no proof that it was his," the priest said, "but it is of the type that he would have used during his travels."

The archives do store two relics of the saint.

Open to public

Both the archives and the Special Collections Department are open to the public.

Student volunteers assist him in the office, which is located on the second floor of the library, next to the Special Collections Department. It houses the library's collections of old books, including the breviary.

"The archives office is like a store, really," he continued. "You can come and browse, or you can use our product. We bridge the gap between the past and the present, while keeping the memory alive for the future."

(Father Davies can be reached at 783-6717. Siena's lacrosse team was undefeated in 1979. The 1949-'50 basketball team was ranked 11th in the nation.)

(8/25/05) [[In-content Ad]]