Yehoshua Nessyahu Technion Historical Archive Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Overview

The Yehoshua Nessyahu Technion Historical Archive is the institutional archive of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, housed in the Elyachar Central Library. Founded in 1968 by Yehoshua Nessyahu and named in his honor, the archive preserves and documents the history of the Technion from its inception in the early twentieth century through the present. It is recognized as a part of the Israel Archive Network (IAN), a collaborative digitization project with the National Library of Israel.

History and Founding

The archive was established in 1968 by Yehoshua Nessyahu, a former financial secretary of the Technion, and bears his name. Its purpose is to preserve and document the history and development of the Technion from its founding, including the institution's role in pre-state Zionist education, the War of the Languages controversy over the medium of instruction, and its evolution into a world-class research university.

Collections and Holdings

The archive contains five main divisions encompassing tens of thousands of documents, photographs, maps, and correspondence. Holdings span the period from the early twentieth century, when the idea of establishing a Jewish technical university was first raised, through the 1980s. Notable collections include the Schumacher Collection of historical maps of Haifa drawn between 1896 and 1911, as well as 58 maps of the Land of Israel and neighboring countries drawn during the Ottoman period. Historical photographs document campus life from the Technion's earliest years through the 1970s. Materials are stored in a climate-controlled room in the archive floor of the Elyachar Central Library.

Access and Usage

A digitization project titled "Mosaic of Identities" has been undertaken to make archival materials accessible online. The archive participates in the Israel Archive Network, making its records discoverable through the National Library of Israel's digital catalog. Physical access is by prior arrangement.