ULV Student Leads Effort to Digitize Campus Times Archives

Adonis Borer, left, and Keren Darancette examine the first-ever edition of Campus Times at the University of La Verne, part of an ongoing effort to digitize and preserve the university’s historic student newspaper archives. (ULV Photo/Brandon Le)

ULV student Adonis Borer partners with Keren Darancette, university archivist, to preserve decades of student journalism and make it accessible online

Decades of student journalism are being brought back to life at the University of La Verne, where archival editions of Campus Times are now being digitized and made publicly accessible. 

The initiative began with student Adonis Borer, a senior majoring in psychology, who partnered with university archivist Keren Darancette to preserve the historic newspapers. 

“I didn’t want these stories to just sit in boxes,” Borer said. “They’re part of our history, and people should be able to read them.” 

The archive traces the newspaper’s beginnings in 1919 and reflects periods of both growth and hardship. During the Great Depression, production of Campus Times temporarily stopped because the funding didn’t exist to publish it. 

Darancette said student publications provide an important record of campus life. 

“They capture what students were thinking, debating and experiencing at a specific moment in time,” she said. “Digitization ensures that history is preserved and accessible.” 

The project includes carefully scanning fragile print editions and organizing them into a searchable online archive. Borer, whose father, Eric Borer, works in the university’s communications department and supervises current Campus Times staff members, said the experience strengthened her connection to the campus community. 

“It’s meaningful to help protect something that tells our story,” she said. 

The first edition can be viewed here: La Verne Digital Collection. Additional editions will be added to the digital archive in the coming months.