Yearbook Archive Goes Digital

Looking to reminisce on your glory days at Biola without having to crawl into the attic to find your dusty yearbooks?

Every edition of The Biolan dating back to its inaugural 1927 volume is now available to peruse online, thanks to Biola’s library archival team. The yearlong project was an effort to make the university’s archives more accessible, according to Gregg Geary, dean of library and media services.

“Now anybody who wants to check on who was here at such-and-such a time, or check on relatives or see a picture can do that right online without having to make a trek to campus,” Geary said.

Every year of Biola’s history since 1927 can be explored on virtual pages, excluding an eight-year hiatus in the ’30s when Biola’s budget was tight because of the Depression. The archive is simple and fun to use, complete with page-turning sounds and streamlined zoom features.

“It gives you the look and feel of having the physical item in your hand,” Geary said.

“You don’t have to be a technical expert to access it.”

The archival committee is even exploring a facial-recognition software, which would make it easy to find one person across volumes without navigating the book’s index.

To access the yearbooks, visit the library’s website at libguides.biola.edu/biolan.