Beginning in 1939, Mr. Eiche initiated a project to preserve newspaper clippings related to Penn State Altoona. The clippings were pasted into large scrapbooks measuring 12 by 18 inches. The scrapbook project continued from 1939 until 2011, and the books include clippings from local newspapers such as the Altoona Mirror, Tribune Democrat, Tyrone Herald, Bedford Gazette, Ivy Leaf, Somerset American, and others. Clippings cover a wide range of topics including sporting and performing arts events, student activities and achievements, campus construction and expansion, and employee news.
As part of a four-year preservation project, the 42 scrapbooks have been deacidified to prevent yellowing, enclosed in custom-made boxes, and catalogued. They can be checked out at the service desk for in-library use only. The Penn State Altoona Scrapbooks will interest students, faculty, staff, and alumni seeking to get a snapshot of what campus life was like at any point from its founding until the present.