WWW designed to increase student interest The most awe-inspiring activity in Franklin Field this summer is taking place five feet under the lower north bleachers. Two thousand cubic feet of Penn's treasures -- including documents, manuscripts, paintings, and films -- are being awarded two new homes. The University Archives can now be found on the World Wide Web and, beginning this fall, will be housed in a state-of-the-art archiving area. "We have possessed excellent archives since the 18th century," said the Director of University Archives and Records Center Mark Lloyd. "But this year more people will come visit us. We will finally have increased space because of the renovations and also increased exposure as a result of going on line." Penn is the first University to have a multi-media, large-scale archive web site. College junior Steve Friedman designed the page. Friedman became involved in the project after discovering University records last year while working on a project for Hill College House. "I got such a kick out of using the records that I became really excited about volunteering at the archives" Friedman said. "During finals week, I stumbled upon the site and I saw a real opportunity." During the past two months, Friedman has spent countless hours capitalizing on that opportunity. The address for the page is www.upenn.edu/AR, and it is also linked to Penn's homepage. Just one glance at the site will attract any Penn enthusiast. A photograph of College Hall from the 1950s is the first image. The picture shows the bell towers that formerly surrounded the building. Fascinating information and pictures are common throughout the web site -- everything from freshman initiation to former wrestling teams is documented. The page has five main categories -- a history of Penn, a photographic journey, descriptions of famous graduates, histories of other universities, and information about the archives. Friedman also wrote a comprehensive and accurate history of the University, along with a timeline and dozens of interesting comments. "If only I knew my class material this well, I'd be all set," Friedman said. "I can't walk around campus without spouting out facts about Penn's history." One of his favorite aspects of the web page is a University class catalogue from 1831. The great success of the archive web site is due to the fascinating nature of the University's archives, explained Lloyd. According to Technical Services Archivist Kaiyi Chen, the University has one of the most unique collections in the county. Chen is currently using documents about early missions to China for his research project about modern medicine. Lloyd said Penn's archives can satisfy anyone from interested undergraduates to serious scholars. In fact, for the past four years Penn's Senior Honors program award has been given to an undergraduate who did a majority of their research in the University's archives. Lloyd said the most commonly accessed document is the personal papers of Raymond and Sadie Alexander -- a pair of Penn graduates who were pioneers in the social and political history of Philadelphia. "We have such a broad range of materials about the school, the region, and prominent people," Lloyd said. "Steve's work is bringing all this information to a larger audience." One of Friedman's favorite additions to the web site in the Reference Query page, which allows all users to ask questions about Penn's history. The archives staff will respond to queries within one business day. But as a result of the major construction and facilities upgrade that began in May, not all documents can be accessed during the summer. Associate Director University Archives and Records Center Hamilton Elliott said the construction will give the center 40% additional space. An unique climate control system is also being installed in the West End archive rooms, which will ensure the preservation of certain rare documents. Presently, many of the center's documents are stored in boxes or at the University's Record Center at 4015 Walnut St. The renovation project is scheduled to be completed by Labor Day -- just in time to return the materials to their shelves for the use of students in the fall. During the construction period, appointments must be made two weeks in advance to use collections. Some collections are completely closed during the renovations. The web page also explains the construction that will result in an addition of 114 feet to the 365 feet already present. Although the University's archive web site is his favorite project, it certainly is not Friedman's only job for the summer. He is responsible for making a entirely new History homepage for the University. Friedman said this page will be extremely interactive because students will be able to access both professors and advisors through the page. Friedman's other projects consist of revamping the web site for the French Institute for Culture and Technology, redesigning Penn's library web site, and working on the web page for the University's writing programs. He is participating in an independent study to design a web page about Pearl Buck. "I have always believed that if you want something done you should give it to a busy person," Friedman said of hi s work habits. "If I didn't have this many projects, I would probably spend a lot more time sleeping." Wharton senior Allison Miller and Friedman are planning on beginning a new computer club this fall called DigiPenn. He said it will be a gathering of students and faculty to discuss, and learn, about the Internet. "Most people see computers as an end in itself," Friedman said. "I see computers as a mean towards an end -- that end being greater communication and the spread of knowledge."
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