Maag Library has been a staple on Youngstown State University’s grounds since its construction in 1976. Decades of history are held behind the doors of the concrete edifice, which, in itself stands on this Ohio campus as a time capsule.
On April 24th, students and staff celebrated the library’s 50th birthday, along with America’s 250th anniversary. Anna Torres, Co-Director and Head of Library Services and Operations, paid homage by taking part of a campus-led effort to unearth a time capsule packed in 1999, replacing it with a new capsule set to open in 2051. Torres was excited to take part in this milestone event.
“It's been a wonderful day celebrating with the campus community, past and current library employees, and also the community at large,” she said. “It's wonderful to see everybody here because it reinforces the important services that a library provides, especially on a campus.”
History major Logan Agee was among the students in attendance taking interest in the 1999 capsule; discovered inside were personal photographs, items highlighting the new millennium, and an edition of the university’s newspaper, The Jambar. Agee was particularly fascinated by an article discussing students’ predictions of the future at the turning point in a new world of digital media. One particular prediction in the article fascinated him.
“They absolutely called the issues we face today going in the digital world of physical media,” he said. “Without tracing anything, you can't establish ownership of anything and, sometimes, a piece of media that you grew up loving, because it's digital now, they’ll take it off a streaming service, they'll take it off the internet and poof, it's gone.”
Another former student turned Maag staff member Brian Brennan remembers helping pack the 1999 capsule. The senior archivist graduated from the university in 1988 and worked for the library for 30 years. Though many of his roles in the library have changed throughout the decades, one thing has remained the same: Maag Library has been his life. With thousands of students coming through its doors, Brennan highlighted the importance of the library’s services for those on campus.
“I like to see it promoted as much as possible because I think it's an important part of the campus,” he said. “Students would be lost without the library because you can't find everything on the internet. Some things are only found in print sources, so it's necessary to be here.”
Bill Johnson, Youngstown State University president closed out the special event, taking pride in a campus that wouldn’t be the same without its library.
“Preserving institutional memory and community identity is essential to understanding the mission and the spirit of our university,” he said. “Let me express sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to planning today's celebration and to those who helped create the time capsule that will carry our story into the future.”
For Maag Library, the time capsule does not just represent a continuing tradition. It reflects an unsevered connection between students at Youngstown State University—a thread of understanding between the past, present, and future. A connection felt, even when buried underground.