The University of Maryland Libraries have continued to contribute materials for digitization to the Internet Archive as part of the Lyrasis Mass Digitization Collaborative.
These media guides follow the Maryland Terrapin Men’s Basketball team from their first days in Cole through the national championship season of 2002 and up to 2009, when paper guides were no longer printed. Packed with pictures, player and coach profiles, and tons of historical information, they are a treasure trove for the true Terrapin fan. Follow the careers of Terp greats Len Elmore, Tom McMillen, Len Bias and Joe Smith, or read the game-by-game summaries and relive past glories.
Digital Collections at the University of Maryland Libraries has recently digitized the records of the Phi Mu Fraternity, an engineering honor society later known as the Beta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi. The Phi Mu records consist of research papers on various engineering topics prepared as part of initiation requirements. Many of these papers deal with topics relating to the history of the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Digitization staff digitized these papers according to UMD Libraries Best Practices, and then used Adobe Acrobat software to create PDF versions of the papers, which are now full-text searchable and available online via the Internet Archive. The easiest way to browse these papers is by viewing the finding aid to the Phi Mu records.
Local landmarks explored by these students in their initiation papers include places such as Muirkirk Iron Works, the Thomas Viaduct, and the University of Maryland’s Rossborough Inn.
These wonderful research papers provide excellent documentation of some of Maryland’s valuable engineering history and architecture.
The Thomas Viaduct, from The Thomas Viaduct at Relay Maryland, by J. E. Revelle, 1925
The University of Maryland Libraries, together with the Internet Archive, has digitized over 300 Maryland State Planning documents as part of their participation in the Lyrasis Mass Digitization Collaborative.
These state documents, which span the 1930s through the 1980s, contain valuable historical data about projects and resources in Maryland. The Maryland General Assembly created the first state planning commission in 1933, to coordinate Depression-era public works programs of the National Resources Planning Board and the Works Projects Administration. During its first ten years, the Commission developed one of the first Capital Improvements Programs in the country, a mapping system covering the state, and a program to provide medical care for the indigent. The first report issued by the Commission was entitled Certain financial aspects of local governments in Maryland (1934), and contains an explanation of the Commission’s purpose. Other interesting titles include Report on men’s clothing industry (1936) and Report on the fertilizer industry (1938).
In 1959, the Commission became State Planning Department, and broadened its area of concern to include the state’s water resources and the protection, development, and maintenance of Assateague Island. Reports from this era include Maryland’s Nursing Home Plan (1959) and a Report on emotionally disturbed children and adolescents (1963). For more information on the history of state planning in Maryland, please see the Maryland Department of Planning website.
These items are all available at the Internet Archive.
