Guided by Professor Eric Hung, UMD INFO students digitize and share Greenbelt’s surprising pet history with the community
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Screenshot courtesy of WTOP. Click here to watch the full video.
In WTOP News’ feature “Maryland students work to preserve a unique bit of animal history about Greenbelt,” archival students and faculty from the University of Maryland’s College of Information (INFO) are documenting an overlooked part of the city’s past. Led by INFO Professor Eric Hung, Master of Library and Information Science students have spent three years digitizing historic newspapers, photos, and documents tied to Greenbelt’s founding – including the surprising fact that residents were prohibited from owning pets for 22 years.
This work is part of a partnership with the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System to expand and preserve the Tugwell Collection at the Greenbelt Branch Library. This semester, students are focusing on the history of pets in the community, gaining hands-on archival experience by appraising new donations, preserving contributed materials, and preparing items for exhibition. At the recent “Greenbelt Best Friends Fest,” students and library staff invited residents to share personal pet stories and add photographs to the growing archive.
Professor Hung emphasizes that the project offers both practical training and a meaningful connection to local history. Students say the work has deepened their interest in community archives and highlighted the role of everyday experiences in understanding the past.
For more on how INFO students are preserving Greenbelt’s history, read the full article here.
The original article was written by Alan Etter and published by WTOP News on November 19, 2025.