Well, first of all it's a nice acronym, but more importantly, the DARCroom is actually connected in a concrete way to the history of the library. In the early days of Fairfield University, the library for the school was actually housed on the main floor of Canisius Hall. The head of the library, Rev. Francis A. Small, S.J., was also an amateur photographer. It was Father Small who got permission to create and maintain a darkroom in the library. Remember, this was before the days of computers, color printers, or even copy machines. Under Father Small's direction, the darkroom functioned as a latter-day print shop - by photographing a typed page and using a mimeograph machine, he printed programs and brochures for a variety of university events. When the library moved to the newly built Nyselius Library in 1968, the darkroom moved with it, finding a home just behind what is now the circulation desk.

Although there is no longer a need for a physical darkroom in the library, there is instead an increasing need for information via the World Wide Web. The DiMenna-Nyselius Library seeks to fill this need by providing access to online resources - electronic journals, electronic books and databases - which connect us to historical information as well as current events. This is where the DARCroom comes in. With this collection we hope to provide an ongoing database of photographs, documents, and memorabilia depicting the life and history of Fairfield University.

Our first collection consists of photographs, starting with our earliest photographs of the Jesuit Residence at Bellarmine Hall. To this we have added early photographs of the Japanese Garden, the library, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (now Dolan Campus) and the 1958 construction of Alumni Hall. More photographs of people, presidents, and campus life and events will follow. Future collections will be document-based, and include material such as the Rector's Memorandum book, letters from landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff, the Fairfield University charter, commencement brochures, and more.

Our mission is to provide a valuable historical resource for students, scholars, and the community at large. Hence our slogan: the DARCroom - bringing Fairfield University history to light. Please feel free to contact us with comments, and we hope you enjoy browsing the collection!