The Regional History Center/University Archives at NIU has the mission of preserving and documenting the history of the university, including those as incomprehensive as the tragic event that occurred on campus on Thursday, February 14, 2008. The Archives’staff is creating a website to show the support given to the NIU community during our time of grief. One way our community helped each other was by writing messages of support on the Memorial Panels that were placed in the Martin Luther King Commons. When the A-frame boards were dismantled, the Message Panels were brought to the Regional History Center/University Archives for permanent preservation. The ten panels were photographed by Robert Banke, NIU Media Services, using a large format digital camera. Each panel was scanned in two pieces taking approximately twenty minutes per scan. Charles Larry, Public Relations Officer for the University Libraries, pieced the two scans together. Then the panels were layered in archival tissue, wrapped around archival tubes, and covered with muslin cloth and ties for permanent preservation in the Archives.
The ten panels are now available for viewing by using a DjVu plugin. It is a safe and free plugin and can be downloaded from http://www.caminova.net/en/downloads/download.aspx?id=1. You will need to download this only once. This software will allow the viewer to zoom in on each panel so they can read individual messages that were written on the panel. Please feel free to click on the “Help navigating the DjVu image” pdf if you need assistance with the software’s toolbar items.
Originally there were eight panels placed in the Martin Luther King Commons. Due to the weather, two of the panels were removed on March 19, 2008 and blank canvass were installed so additional messages of support could be added. These replacement panels are labeled as such below.
Panel 1
Panel 1 Replacement
Panel 2
Panel 2 Replacement
Panel 3
Panel 4
Panel 5
Panel 6
Panel 7
Panel 8
The Archives’ staff hope that all who view the Memorial Panels find comfort in their messages of support.
