The main library on the west campus is the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. But who was Frank Melville Jr.? Melville and his wife Jennie rose from humble beginnings and founded the Melville Shoe Company in 1892, which evolved into the Melville…
Blog Archives
The Library Gets a Name: Frank Melville, Jr.
The main library on the west campus is the Frank Melville, Jr. Memorial Library. But who was Frank Melville, Jr. (1860-1935)? Melville and his wife Jennie rose from humble beginnings and founded the Melville Shoe Company in 1892, which evolved…
Posted in About Us
Collection of Charles E. Lawrence: Trotting Horses on Long Island
The papers of Charles E. Lawrence of Hauppauge, a breeder of trotting horses on Long Island in the late 1800s and early 1900s, are available for research. Correspondence, flyers, brochures, receipts, and advertisements are represented in the collection. The papers…
Special Collections receives Priority Projects Grant
Special Collections is the recipient of a $20,000 Priority Projects Grant to support acquisitions and for the curatorial care of collections at Stony Brook University Libraries. The funding was granted by the Honorable Steven Englebright, 4th Assembly District, Suffolk County. With past funding,…
Follow Special Collections on Instagram
Learn about the university’s one-of-kind library collections and university history on Special Collections and University Archives’ new Instagram account. Pictured here are crew team members in 1962, rowing in Port Jefferson Harbor. Crew was founded in 1960 at the State University College on…
1777 American Revolution, Long Island Letter Acquired
Special Collections has acquired a Revolutionary War-era letter (1777) authored by Samuel Blachley Webb (1753-1807), an aide and secretary to George Washington. The acquisition was made possible through a grant awarded by Assemblyman Steven Englebright. Days after this writing, Webb…
Posted in History, Special Collections & University Archives
From the Archives: A Library Transforms (Part II)
The expansion of Frank Melville, Jr. Memorial Library, which began in May 1970, was completed by 1972. Branch libraries for Chemistry, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering were located in their respective academic buildings. Holdings in campus libraries totaled about 700,000 volumes (today, there…
New online exhibition features Long Island artist Charles Henry Miller
An online exhibition presented by Special Collections showcases the works of noted Long Island artist Charles Henry Miller. Currently featured on the university’s homepage, Special Collections’ rare set of “New York and Long Island Landscapes” is available for viewing. Comprised…
From the Archives: Computer Science at SBU
On July 1, a grand opening celebration for the new Computer Science Building will be held. This photograph from the University Archives is a rendering of the original building, which opened in May 1971. Founded in 1969, the Computer Science Department is…
Special Collections and University Archives
Spy letters written by George Washington during the American Revolution. A history of the world published in 1493. The first map depicting Long Island as an island. Photographs of Stony Brook’s original train station. These are just a few examples…
