On July 1, 1975, the research of James E. Hansen, a history professor, officially founded the Colorado State University Archives while writing his 1977 book that documented the university’s past, “Democracy’s College in the Centennial State: A History of CSU.” Now CSU’s Archives and Special Collections is an expansive catalogue of items that represent the university’s past.

CSU graduate student Aubree Vecellio, who works as an assistant for the archives, explained the significance of the anniversary.

“It shows our tradition here at CSU; it shows how we have evolved as a university (and) as students,” Vecellio said. “It continues our history, showing that it’s everlasting, it’s continuing to live and it’s never going to stop.”

The archives hold information on a wide variety of subjects, as well as a range of materials. This includes an expansive, rare book collection, original maps, unpublished archival material and past student works — all of which students are able to access at any time.

The archive may be nearing the end of its anniversary celebration, but staff members are determined to show its utility and artistry.

Instruction and Outreach Archivist Clarissa Trapp and Graphic Designer and Exhibition Coordinator for CSU Libraries Silvia Minguzzi helped design and curate the exhibit.

“The story starts with what the university had done before the founding of the archives, celebrates the founding of the archives and then celebrates the addition of the Water Resources Archive and our Agricultural and Natural Resources Archives as well,” Trapp said.

Trapp led the way by determining which items could safely be displayed without getting damaged.

“There are things that I would have loved to include that I wasn’t able to because they would be affected by light,” Trapp said. “And we have to think about preservation of objects, not just, you know, displaying objects.”

Minguzzi mentioned how she had to reconcile her artistic sensibilities with the fragile materials as well.

“There’s always this dichotomy of, should we show this and ruin it, or should we take it in the back?” Minguzzi said. “So we kind of compromise on that. So most of the things you’ll see on display are wooden or metallic to start with.”

Items are held in glass displays to alleviate that concern. The walls also show copies of historical photos and posters.

Trapp said one of her favorites is a time capsule unearthed after the mysterious fire in May 1970, which burned down Old Main — one of CSU’s oldest buildings.

“There were little vials full of grain, like barley and wheat, that were essential to agriculture at the time,” Trapp said. “And it was just a delightful, like, an interesting way of displaying what the people who founded CSU … thought was valuable.”

Going forward, Trapp and Minguzzi said they hope people have a better understanding of CSU’s history and the value of the archives as a place to see and feel it.

“Students should come in and enjoy all the amazing things that we have,” said Max Fields, the student assistant for outreach and instruction. “Especially the archival materials, you will never see them anywhere else in the whole world because they’re unpublished. There’s one of them, and that’s it.”

Minguzzi attended CSU for her master of fine arts degree because the archives have one of the biggest international poster collections in the United States.

Both Trapp and Minguzzi said they understand the importance of digital archival materials but have a shared respect for the physical.

“We’re moving into an increasingly digital world, and that will be true for archives as well going forward,” Trapp said. “The ability to touch the past is really valuable … for our faculty, for students and for community members.”

Students are able to access online materials and schedule appointments with the archives through the library’s website.

“If they make an appointment, they can come in and we’ll probably already have that material ready for them to use,” Vecellio said. “Even if they just walk in as well, … we could usually pull stuff right then and there.”

In addition to research purposes, students are also able — and even encouraged — to access materials simply out of personal interest.

“Some people … just want to look at cool old stuff because it’s awesome, which I highly encourage because it’s a service that your student fees pay for,” Fields said. “You might as well enjoy it.”

Reach Maiya Kreamer and Maxine Bilodeau at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.