The Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation has given $1 million to create SBU Libraries’ largest endowment, which will help preserve, promote and make accessible the Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection at Stony Brook, with the hope that the public, scholars and elected officials can build on the legacy of the senator’s body of work.
Sen. Jacob Javits played a critical role in shaping national policies on civil rights, social justice, the arts and environmental protection during his more than three decades of service as an elected official from New York. He also had a long-standing relationship with former Stony Brook University President John H. Marburger III and spent time at the university, meeting with faculty and students and giving lectures on campus. In 1981, he gifted his papers, documenting his 34 years in public office, to Stony Brook. “It is my hope that this collection will be a source of creativity in human and governmental endeavors,” said Javits at the time.
“This collection serves as a powerful educational resource,” said Kristen Nyitray, director of Special Collections and University Archives. “It is not only an archive of the past, but a source for informed citizenship and critical thinking about the present and future.”
The collection features nearly 2 million items, including speeches, bills and campaign literature, audio and film recordings, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia, cartoons and correspondence. The papers document Javits’ political career as well as his intellectual development, decision-making processes and influence on American history, according to Jamie Saragossi, associate librarian and associate dean, content services. The collection gives users a deeper understanding of policies that have shaped the country and highlights his career achievements in public service.
Read the full story by Christine McGrath at SB Matters.
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