Library News (Special Collections And Archives)

A close-up of a pop-top can end being held by a Dayton Reliable tool employee (only the hand is visible) in front of a machine press.
From Special Collections & Archives

America 250 Ohio: Celebrating the Innovative Mind of Ermal C. Fraze

February 27, 2026

February’s America 250-Ohio celebration theme, Ohio Works: Innovation & Industry, put a spotlight on the ideas and entrepreneurs who helped shape Ohio’s industrial landscape. Here at Wright State University’s Special Collections & Archives, one story that resonates strongly with that theme is the history of Ermal C. Fraze and his company, the Dayton Reliable Tool Company.

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Richard Holbrooke standing at podium.
From Special Collections & Archives

Commemorating 30 Years of the Dayton Peace Accords

November 12, 2025

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords—a landmark agreement that helped bring an end to the Bosnian War. To commemorate this historic milestone, Wright State University Special Collections & Archives is excited to announce the digitization of the Dayton Daily News Photographs – Dayton Peace Accords (MS-458) collection.

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Callizo album open inside cover before conservation treatment
From Special Collections & Archives

Grant Supports Conservation of Wright Brothers Archival Treasures

August 26, 2025

We’re excited to share some great news from the University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives! Thanks to funding from the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Conservation & Preservation Grant, administered by the State Library of Ohio and funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), three of our most-used treasures in the Wright Brothers Collection have received professional conservation treatment—and the results are stunning.

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Dayton's Union Station, interior, demolition (MS-458)
From Special Collections & Archives

Dayton’s Union Station: Later Years 1960s+

Originally posted June 16, 2016

January 29, 2025

By the early 1960s, Dayton’s passenger rail needs had been reduced so much that such a huge depot as Union Station was no longer required. Therefore, in the summer of 1964, the huge tower depot was demolished and the offices moved to smaller depot facilities. The new depot was dedicated in September 1964.

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