Welcoming the Tamarack

The University of Detroit Mercy Libraries/Instructional Design Studio is proud to announce that our newest archive, the Tamarack collection, is now available. Beginning in 1897, these publications are considered the first issues of what in 1923 would be absorbed by the Varsity Newspaper that started its publication in 1918.

Reading through each issue of this unique resource is a great way to explore not only a bit of UDM history, but a historical perspective of a very interesting time for the city and the country. These rare issues encompass the years just prior to and during the first world war.  The innocence was still there in the fresh outlook of an academic world whose students were not yet jaded by the devastation the world was about to experience.  Each essay, with its emphasis on spiritual values, studied philosophizing, and boyish humor, offers entry into the hopes and dreams of the still pure hearts of its young writer.  There was more focus on keeping a light heart than knuckling down to the hard facts of living in a dangerous world that the war would encourage in later years.

The stories, commentary, and photographs found within these pages are unlike any to be found in other publications. This helps make the archive a rare window into a time that now only exists in distant memory.

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to visit and discover the value of this unique collection.

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