An Undergraduate Researcher’s Holy Grail
by Sarhia Rahim, ‘25, Policy Studies major, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs and SCRC Public Services undergraduate student worker, Summer 2024
Libraries and archives in any form are a researcher's best friend. Whether you are digging for data to manuscripts, archives are a good place to begin. Being a college student with access to the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at Bird Library is always my personal starting point during my research process.
My research always has an emphasis on local community, Syracuse history, policy and social equity. This past summer, I had the opportunity to continue that research with different projects, one of them focusing on the longevity of organizations and blending that with societal issues that repeatedly have been a problem in Syracuse since the 1940s. Such a wide scope for a topic and timeline requires an extensive review of the archives in SCRC.
One reference I have frequented from SCRC is The Stand South Side Newspaper Project Collection. The collection holds each physical copy of The Stand since its inception in 2010 up to 2022. Resources like this are important for research that emphasizes community, because it was written by and for the community. The Stand South Side Newspaper Project Collection helps provide researchers with a longitudinal view of a neighborhood and the issues most relevant to the community during that time. This specific collection holds a decade's worth of information about the Southside community.
While archives may not always offer all the answers, they can be instrumental in uncovering valuable leads. Thanks to The Stand Southside Newspaper Project Collection, I was able to learn more by reaching out to Ashley Kang, the previous director of The Stand. My time speaking with her gave me more insight on how the newspaper provided voice to the community and created a relationship with Syracuse University students “on the hill” through journalism partnerships.
In addition to archival collections, SCRC holds rare book and print materials. My work this past summer led me to discover Salt City and Its Black Community by S. David and Mariam Burney Stamps. This book has proven to be a crucial resource, providing detailed accounts of key periods in the Black community's history in Syracuse, along with data such as employment or housing.
The resources available in SCRC are invaluable for anyone conducting research on community and historical issues, offering both broad overviews and detailed insights into specific topics.