Current Projects:

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biographies & Who's Who of Pennsylvania:
A project to provide the 1904 and 1908 editions of Who's Who in Pennsylvania and The Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biographies, volumes 1-14 online as a digital resource for PA historians as well as faculty, students, and patrons interested in learning more about prominent Pennsylvanians.  The project also involved microfilming both titles (including the entire run of The Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biographies) to complete the collection here at the Penn State Libraries.

Pennsylvania German Broadsides and Fraktur:
This collection includes over 250 images from the holdings of Rare Books and Manuscripts in the Special Collections Library. The term "Fraktur" (the word is both singular and plural) originally described a type of German printing similar to old English Gothic. The term today refers to drawings on paper made with pen, ink, and watercolor, using fancy penmanship and illustrations such as birds, hearts, flowers, and angels. They were commonly used in the 18th and 19th centuries to document births and baptisms, marriages, and house blessings, among other occasions. The collection also includes broadsides (sheets of paper printed on one side only, such as commentaries on religious texts and political events) and German-language newspapers. These documents provide us with insight into the everyday life of German immigrants and show the process of acculturation of German settlers to their new environment.

Jonathan White Honey Board Papers:
The Jonathan White papers is a collection of articles and research material written by Dr. Jonathan White during his career as a USDA food scientist. Jonathan White is recognized internationally for his analyses of the composition of honey. Dr White's papers have been microfilmed, digitized, and reformed into a collection of searchable PDFs for the National Honey Board's collection.

PA's Past: Historical Essays & Documents:
The purpose of this site is to provide the public with readable informative essays, while giving Penn State students an opportunity to publish their research. Each essay imparts an introduction to a unique and interesting episode in Pennsylvania History. This site is a collaborative effort between the library and the Penn State History Department. The essays are written by history students at Penn State, under the supervision of Dr. William Pencak, History Department, and Eric Novotny, Humanities Librarian.

PA's Past: Digital Bookshelf:
The aim of PA's Past is to illuminate the richness of Pennsylvania history and culture.  Included are historical images and maps, newspapers, regional histories, writings by and about prominent Pennsylvanians, and publications produced by state and local historical agencies. The famous and the obscure can be found within the hundreds of thousands of online articles, images, and documents, reflecting the diversity of historical experiences in Pennsylvania.