The M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, collects, preserves, provides access to, and encourages the use of the University Libraries' unique manuscript and archival materials. Major collecting areas include the New York State Modern Political Archive, the National Death Penalty Archive, the German and Jewish Intellectual Émigré Collection, and permanent records of the University at Albany, SUNY. While the materials held within Special Collections and Archives do not circulate, we are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections in our reading room or contact us for assistance. We are located on the third floor of the Science Library on the Uptown Campus.
The collection consists chiefly of administrative paper records from the University at Albany's Allen Collegiate Center, operational from 1972-1976. The experimental center combined the senior year of high school with the freshman year of college so that students could earn a bachelor's degree in three years.
This collection contains the American Association of Retired Persons, Schenectady County Chapter, #490's official newsletters, treasurer's reports, correspondence, various national and local publications, newspaper clippings, certificates, and the chapter banner.
The American Marketing Association, Capital District Chapter works for the advancement of business and management in the region. The collection includes publications concerning programs sponsored by the organization as well as administrative records. Also included are descriptions and handouts from businesses in the Capital District.
Bill Pelke is a leader in the national death penalty abolition movement. This collection documents Bill Pelke's involvement with Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing, Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR), National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), Amnesty International, and other organizations committed to ending capital punishment in the United States.
The Chi Sigma Theta Sorority Records contain documents related to the history, activities and alumnae of the Chi Sigma Theta Sorority at the University at Albany.
The records of Citizens' Environmental Coalition (CEC) document its research and activism, from its infancy as part of the New York Environmental Institute, through its independent chartering in 1991, and continuing into the new millennium.
The Conservative Party Of New York State Records contain files created and used the chairmen of the New York State Conservative Party: Kieran O'Doherty, 1962; J. Daniel Mahoney, 1962-86; Serphin Maltese, 1986-88; and Michael R. Long, 1989-2019. The strength of the records is in its documentation of New York State politics and elections (including the State Legislature and other state offices), the Conservative Party's political endorsements and candidates (including writer William F. Buckley, Jr., and Senator James Buckley), and the political goals and ideological positions on contemporary and 20th century issues.
The Correctional Association of New York Records includes records from the Board of Directors, annual reports, prison visit files, Narcotics Committee files, program and bureau files, project files, subject files, and publications. The only records of the organization available from the nineteenth century are the annual reports, which have been microfilmed and are available in the University Library.