As the "Predecessor Institute of Academic Exellence" for Penn State Berks, the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute was initially conceived by Henry Janssen and Ferdinand Thun in 1927 as the Educational Department of the Textile Machine Works. The Penn State Berks Archives and Special Collections serves to preserve and make accessible the industrial and educational history of Wyomissing Industries and its partnership in the development of the Penn State Berks Campus. Encompassed in the collection are documents, audio files, photographs, and artifacts, as well as generous alumni donations of student textbooks, notebooks and original machine designs and blueprints. The gallery in the Boscov-Lakin Information Commons at the Thun Library accommodates the Wyomissing Polytechinic Institute Exhibit and Timeline and is open to visitors whenever the library is open.
