Elon University Belk Library and University Archives staff hosted their annual Flashback Friday event Oct. 10, giving alumni the chance to take a look back at Elon’s history.
The event was part of Homecoming weekend programming and aimed to connect alumni with Elon’s history through resources preserved by University Archives staff.
Randall Bowman, archivist and assistant librarian at Belk Library, has worked at Elon since 2000. He said the event showcases Elon’s history, particularly from the past 50 years through yearbooks, student publications and photographs.
Each year staff also bring out albums of unidentified photos, organized by decade, in hopes that alumni can help put names to the faces.
“We had a gentleman who graduated in 2000 come and actually look through the 90s one and identified quite a few people, including himself,” Bowman said.
Kelly Policelli, coordinator of University Archives and Special Collections, said it is important to open this opportunity to alumni.
“It's an emotional thing to come back to campus,” Policelli said. “More so than a lot of alumni think it's going to be, and to be part of that is kind of fun.”
Policelli said she considers the event a success if one alum gets to enjoy reminiscing on their college memories.
Belk Library, which opened in January 2000, is not a part of every alum’s Elon story.
“It's actually more recent alumni that we tend to see in here,” Policelli said. “They actually were in Belk Library when they were studying.”
Policelli said it’s still meaningful to connect with those who stop by, whether they’re identifying a familiar face in an old photo or reminiscing about their college years.
Bowman said he wants students and alumni to know that many of their resources are available online year-round, even if they aren’t on campus for events like Flashback Friday.