Library supporters preserve scrapbooks, elevate students

Deep in the basement of Auburn’s Ralph Draughon Library lie stacks of scrapbooks from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, filled with mementos like corsages, newspaper clippings, wedding invitations and train tickets. Wouldn’t you like to see them? 

Well, now you can, thanks to 2024 Tiger Giving Day (TGD) donors, who sponsored the preservation and digitization of the University Libraries’ collection of student scrapbooks dating back to the early 20th century.  

Four scrapbooks in Special Collections and Archives have already been preserved and digitized. Another five are currently undergoing an extensive preservation process executed by professional conservators who restore ancient manuscripts and rare books, and they will be digitized upon their return to campus.  

Over the years, the scrapbooks’ pages have deteriorated and yellowed, their bindings have broken, and some mementos have become unglued. While they are still fragile, the conservation process makes it possible for them to be viewed both in person and on the department’s website. 

Greg Schmidt, head of Special Collections and Archives, said the trinkets, mementos and written stories are intimate records of the friendships and events that mark student life — both in the past and today. 

“The scrapbooks we chose for Tiger Giving Day restoration capture not only the student experiences and friendships at Auburn and API, but also the town, organizations and events that formed what it meant to be part of the Auburn Family,” he said. “It’s great to see what mattered to students from generations ago and see there are threads that connect them to the students of today.”  

While this past year’s TGD supported the memories of the past, this year’s event will help support current students. The library’s laptop checkout service is a crucial resource for students, and it’s facing growing demand. With donor support, the library will be able to increase the number of available laptops and ease current checkout restrictions. 

The library currently has 30 Dell laptops and 35 MacBook Air laptops, with an average checkout rate of 85% over the past year. With additional laptops, the loan period could be extended beyond the current three weeks, and the one-week waiting period between checkouts could be removed. 

Donors who support this project will help increase opportunities and decrease stress and anxiety for students who have a lost or broken device, need a laptop for an exam or require course-specific software they can’t access on their own device.  

“The demand for the laptop checkout service has been consistently high, which clearly demonstrates how essential this resource is for our students,” said Denise Baker, the Libraries’ IT manager. “Expanding this service is not just about meeting demand — it’s a very specific and impactful way to support students in their pursuit of academic success. 

“Whether it’s a broken device during finals or the need for specialized software, these laptops are often the bridge between challenge and achievement.”   

While TGD is set for September 10 of this year, donors wanting more details about the project can visit the Tiger Giving Day website.