Dates

• Majority of material found within 1869 - 2014

Extent

2 boxes Linear Feet (William Lafranchi was born in Brookville, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Clarion State Teachers College (later Clarion University) in 1949 with a BSED degree. He started working as a librarian at Clarion High School. He earned his MS in Library Science from the University of Illinois in 1953. In September 1953, William Lafranchi joined the professional staff of Indiana State College (later IUP) in 1953 as Director of Libraries and Media Services, and he continued to work for the IUP for 33 years until his retirement in 1986. In 1977, William Lafranchi married Sylvia Martin Lafranchi who went onto be elected as the first female mayor of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, from 1994 to 1998. The William Lafranchi Collection contains correspondences, newspaper articles, information about the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Indiana County program through the YMCA of Indiana County (Manuscript Group 90), and photographs. His interest in expanding the Pennsylvania Collection and the Rare Book Collection at the IUP Libraries led to the creation of the Lafranchi Endowment to purchase rare books for the Special Collections & University Archives at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The collection also contains an audio recording of William Lafranchi being interviewed by Harrison Wick on November 6, 2014. For more information about the Big Brother and Big Sisters of Indiana County program through the YMCA of Indiana County (see Manuscript Group 90). For more information about the University Libraries at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (see Record Group 60).)

Language of Materials

English