Skip to Main Content

Poly Archives & Special Collections

Guide to the collections in the Poly Archives at Bern Dibner Library, New York University.

Using the Materials

Contact us via email for reference requests or to schedule a visit to the archives. Poly Archives at polyarchives@nyu.edu

To locate material across this or other collections at NYU Libraries, you can Search our Finding Aids.

Poly Archives Feature

Fall 2023

Business and Technology Management major Mahdi Chowdhury ('24) curated the exhibit "Muslim Engineers @ Tandon and Beyond" and gave a series of research talks in Fall 2023.  Chowdhury's initial talk, to mark the opening of the exhibit, focused on the deep history of STEM innovations by Muslim engineers, scientists, and thinkers and the connection to the present-day Muslim community at Tandon. This talk featured lunch provided by the local halal cart, supporting a Muslim businessman in the community. Chowdhury's subsequent talks linked current Tandon students with Poly and Tandon alumni with conversations around the theme of Muslims in engineering over the past few decades. Chowdhury's work began as an online exhibit in 2022, as part of the Our Archives, Ourselves course.  Chowdhury was hired as a Poly Archives Student Curator in Spring 2023 to transform his research into a physical exhibit in Dibner Library in Fall 2023.

Photograph of the Dibner Library exhibit display case showing Mahdi Chowdhury's "Muslims at Tandon and Beyond" exhibit, fall 2023.  The exhibit case has 9 squares.  Each square has a poster with information about the history of Muslims and STEM or featuring a former Muslim Tandon/Poly student and their accomplishments.

Mahdi Chowdhury's "Muslim Engineers @ Tandon and Beyond" exhibit on display in Dibner Library, fall 2023.

Poly Archives & Special Collections

Polytechnic Chemistry Lab circa 1920.  Several individuals work at lab tables surrounded by lab equipment that includes glass jars.

The mission of the Poly Archives is to collect, preserve, and provide access to the records of the former Polytechnic Institute (1854-2014). The archives document the history of the former iterations of the school including: the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Polytechnic Institute of New York, Polytechnic University, and Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

The Poly Archives’ rare books and special collections provide context to the archival material by providing documentation of the history of science and technology, particularly in Brooklyn, and the development of MetroTech Center.

Location, Hours, Contact, & Services Information

Search Finding Aids

Search Finding Aids

Plan Your Visit

To plan your visit to the Poly Archives see our website.