Archives director named at YSU
The new archives facility opened last week in the fifth floor of Maag Library.
YOUNGSTOWN — The former director of government records at the Nebraska State Historical Society will oversee the newly opened University Archives and Special Collections at Youngstown State University.
Salvador Barragan has been named archivist at YSU, replacing S. Victor Fleischer, who left this summer for a similar position at the University of Akron.
Barragan, who holds master’s degrees in history and theology and undergraduate degrees in history and business, was selected from a pool of 15 candidates in a national search.
“He impressed us all with his deep knowledge of records management issues, his grasp of contemporary technology — as applied to both archives and records management — and his professional approach to the position,” said Paul Kobulnicky, executive director of Maag Library at YSU.
The University Archives and Special Collections at YSU, which officially opened last week, is located in 4,000 square feet of newly renovated space on the fifth floor of Maag library. The archives houses tens of thousands of documents, publications, photographs and artifacts chronicling YSU’s history from the late 1800s.
In addition to overseeing four full-time staff members, Barragan will work with patrons of the archives, potential donors to the archives, university administrators and the board of trustees in efforts to continue the growth of the archives.
“We thought he had the perfect blend of skills, knowledge and personality to continue the work that we’ve begun,” Kobulnicky said.
Barragan worked at the Maryland State Archives, where he was responsible for public relations and implementation of the Maryland Land Record On-line System, before going to Nebraska.
In addition to his college and university degrees, Barragan has training and certification from the National Archives and Records Administration in digital imaging, e-mail and risk analysis.
The opening of the new facility coincides with YSU’s ongoing centennial celebration this year.
The area features an exhibit gallery that celebrates the university’s history through a series of wall displays on YSU’s academic, school, social and athletic traditions through the years. It also features flat screen monitors highlighting prominent YSU alumni, the university’s presidents and important events in YSU’s history.
The archives also provides thousands of primary resources for faculty and students to conduct research.