Collections

The M. Watt Espy papers chronicle the extensive research efforts that led to the creation of the Capital Punishment Research Project and the database known as the Espy File. Espy spent three decades gathering and indexing documentation of legal executions in the United States. His papers contain both primary and secondary sources used to catalog thousands of instances of capital punishment in the United States and its territories since the 1600s. The collection includes material from corrections records, newspapers, county histories, legal proceedings, and books. In addition to the records pertaining specifically to the death penalty, there is also a selection of magazines collected by Espy that cover true crime stories as well as life in the American Old West.

The records of the New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors trace the development of mental healthcare throughout the state from the early 1950s through the beginning of the twenty-first century. Established in the mid-1970s, the Conference's records include correspondence, memos, meeting minutes, reports, and manuals that chronicle the efforts of mental health professionals as they encourage local, county, and state agencies to provide quality, affordable services for persons living with mental illness, chemical dependency, and/or developmental disability.

The Norman Studer Papers document his career as both an educator and ardent Catskill folklorist. The collection includes significant material relating to his work as director of the Downtown Community School in New York City and Camp Woodland in the Catskills.

The Roger T. Conant Papers document his friendship with fellow University at Albany graduate student Vicki Gekas.

This collection contains documents concerning the work of Ruth Pelham, a singer/songwriter and educator in the Albany, New York area who has been performing for decades in an effort to bring about peaceful communities through music. From the late 1970's to circa 2016, Pelham traveled in a mobile music program called the Music Mobile; singing, teaching, and writing songs with the community.

The Sigma Pi Phi, Beta Psi Boulé Records document the history and day-to-day operations of the Beta Psi Boulé. A professional fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi was founded on May 15, 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its members are distinguished African American men with college and graduate degrees. Beta Psi is the fraternity's 69th Boulé founded on May 5, 1984 in the Capital District of New York.

This collection contains materials about The Legislative Correspondents' Association of the State of New York, especially its celebrated annual dinner held since 1900.

The State University of New York at Albany Alumni Association Records document the day-to-day operations of the Alumni Association from the 1850s to the early 21st Century.

The collection documents the day-to-day student life at the University at Albany and its predecessor institutions, including the State Normal School (1844-1890), the New York State Normal College (1890-1914), the New York State College for Teachers (1914-1959), and the State University of New York at Albany (1962-1986).

The Versatile Club Records document the day-to-day operations of this community organization founded in 1910.