STAFF AT U LIBRARIES HAVE CREATED AN INTERACTIVE DIGITAL ARCHIVE: "MEMORIAL STADIUM 1924-1992."
In less than two months, the sights and sounds of on-campus football will return to the University of Minnesota with the opening of TCF Bank Stadium. While a stadium in the heart of campus will be a new experience for some fans, many others recall the rich history of Memorial Stadium, the home of Golden Gopher football for 57 years. Gopher fans can now relive many of these memories through an interactive digital archive "Memorial Stadium 1924-1992." It can be viewed by going to http://brickhouse.lib.umn.edu.
To watch a video highlighting the exhibit go to http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/Multimedia_Videos/memorial_stadium.htm The "Brickhouse," as fans affectionately called it, was built in 1924 and stood for nearly seven decades until its demolition. For more information, read "Brickhouse redux"
Developed by the University Libraries, "Memorial Stadium 1924-1992 " features historical photos, game footage, programs, correspondence, reports and blueprints from the University Archives. The collections were scanned by the Libraries' Digital Library Development Lab and uploaded into Omeka, a free, open source, interactive Web-based publishing platform that allows visitors to the site to share their own recollections of Memorial Stadium.
"Watching enthusiasm grow as TCF Bank Stadium came to life these past three years inspired University Libraries staff to explore how the rich archival resources and the digital technology expertise of the Libraries could be channeled to capture, share and honor the history of Memorial Stadium from an institutional perspective," said university archivist Beth Kaplan. "From the start we knew we wanted to capture personal perspectives as well. It's our hope that visitors to the site will be inspired to share their own stories, photos, even audio or video clips to transform this into a dynamic and living archive."
Built in 1924 to pay tribute to the men and women of Minnesota lost in World War I, Memorial Stadium stood for nearly 70 years, hosting not only Gopher football but also track and field, the marching band, cheerleaders, commencement, research experiments and even a production of the opera "Aida." The Golden Gophers had a stellar record in Memorial Stadium, including six national championships and 12 unbeaten seasons at home.
Among the many features of the exhibit include live game footage of 28 Golden Gopher football games -- highlighted by a 1953 "Game of the Week" television broadcast in which All-American Paul Giel leads the Gophers over Michigan and sets a Big Ten record by handling the ball 53 times on offense. It also includes full-length programs from numerous Gopher football games and letters from community and university leaders debating a move to the newly built Metrodome.
In conjunction with the online exhibit, selected materials will be installed and available for viewing from July 20 through September 26 in the Andersen Atrium Gallery of the U's Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis. For directions and exhibit hours go to http://special.lib.umn.edu/hoursdir.phtml
