By type of school · For university archivists, communications staff and alumni relations directors
A university heritage display that brings the archives into the light
Your university’s archives hold the founding charter, presidents’ portraits, campus maps and the first graduating class. Put that history where visitors arrive, organized so a curious guest can explore it.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is a university heritage display?
A university heritage display presents an institution’s founding, presidents, campus landmarks, colleges and historic firsts, drawn from its archives and shown where visitors arrive. With HistoryShowcase, archivists organize that history by era, place and people, use Smart Add to suggest entries from finding aids for review, and open the same site on touchscreens in several buildings.
Updated
- Made for
- University archivists, communications staff and alumni relations directors
- Where schools put it
- Visitor center, Library lobby, Student union
- Layouts
- Timeline, Portrait gallery, Photo gallery, Profiles
- Visitors can filter by
- College, Era, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
Archives are for more than researchers
University archives are full of the school’s best stories: the handful of students in the first class, the building that burned and was rebuilt, the first women admitted, the president who kept the doors open through hard years. Most of it is seen by researchers and the occasional anniversary book. Visitors, prospective students and alumni walk past the buildings without knowing who they were named for or why.
A university heritage display puts that history where people gather: the visitor center, the library lobby, the student union. Organize it by era, by campus landmark and by people, and draw every story from what your archive can document. Each college or school can have its own collection, so the engineering school’s history sits beside the founding story, and the same site can be shared with alumni wherever they live.
How does a university heritage display compare with library exhibit cases?
| What matters | Library exhibit cases | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Original objects | Real documents and artifacts on view | Scans and photos of those objects |
| Amount of history shown | What fits in the cases | Founding to today in one timeline |
| Changing the exhibit | Curated and arranged by staff | Edited in a draft, then published |
| Reaching alumni | Visit the library in person | Shared at the site’s web address |
| Each college’s story | A separate exhibit when space allows | A collection for each college |
What a university heritage display can hold
Founding and early years
The charter, the first faculty and the first class, told from documents and photos in your archive.
Presidents and leaders
Every president in order, with their years and what changed on campus under them.
Campus landmarks
Buildings, gates and green spaces, with who they were named for and photos from construction to today.
Historic firsts
First graduates, first programs, first teams and pioneers who opened doors, each with a documented story.
Colleges and schools
A collection for each college within the university, with its own history and notable graduates.
Anniversaries and traditions
Commencement, homecoming and campus traditions traced back to their beginnings.
Organizing a university heritage display
Combine a timeline for the whole institution with collections for places, people and the colleges within it.
Your siteOur Heritage
- University timelineTimeline
Founding to today, one entry per milestone.
- PresidentsPortrait gallery
Official portraits with years of service.
- Campus landmarksPhoto gallery
Buildings then and now.
- Colleges and schoolsProfiles
A sub-collection for each college.
Visitors can narrow it by
- College
- Era
- Year
How do you build a university heritage display?
Choose stories your archive can document
Pick milestones, people and places with photos and records you can stand behind, and note the source in each biography.
Let Smart Add read finding aids
Upload a timeline, finding aid or anniversary book and Smart Add suggests entries with sources. Archivists review each one.
Publish for an anniversary or orientation
Preview privately, then publish for founders day, a milestone anniversary or new student orientation.
Where should a university heritage display go?
- Visitor centerProspective students and families start their campus tour here.
- Library lobbyNear the archives, for guests who want to learn more.
- Student unionCurrent students learn who their buildings are named for.
University heritage display questions
Can each college have its own history?
Yes. Give each college or school a collection with its own layout, and add a college filter where visitors need to narrow a long list.
Can we use the site on several screens around campus?
Yes. The published site runs in a web browser, so you can open it full screen on touchscreens in different buildings and share its web address online.
How do we keep the history accurate?
Publish only what your archive can support. Every change is a private draft until someone with publishing access publishes, so archivists can review each entry first.
Can we include athletics history?
Yes. Add athletics as its own collection with banner or profile layouts, beside the founding story and campus landmarks.
Related ideas
Bring your archives to the front door
Free to use. No payment details required.
