Rutgers archives hold wealth of N.J. history

Nearly 2,100 boxes line shelves in a chilly storage room at Rutgers University, stacked seven high and two deep in places. For years, the library's annex has held reams of paper that document the tenure of Harrison A. Williams Jr., the longtime New Jersey senator whose career some may remember more for how it ended -- in the Abscam bribery scandal -- than the legislation it produced.

Now, archivists are burrowing through those boxes, discovering a discarded Bronze Star, a screenplay and records of the social welfare laws Williams championed -- from pension reform to coal mine safety.

To learn more about the important role that Rutgers Special Libraries plays in providing access to historical information for the public, students, and scholars, click here.