Pitt, Philadelphia University to share custody of Arlen Specter's archive

An agreement announced today between the University of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia University will help to preserve the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's archive.

The agreement is designed to advance the preservation of and access to the the the collection which includes more than 2,700 boxes of papers, photos, audio, video and memorabilia, according to a press release.

Pitt's University Library System will organize and manage the collection over four years and store it for 30 years. Philadelphia University will continue to own the archive.

The two will work together on educational programming and helping students, researchers and the general public access it.

Some of the historic documents concern the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Mr. Specter served as an aide to the commission.

Other documents focus on his role as the only Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against the U.S. Supreme Court nomination of Judge Robert H. Bork in 1987.

Mr. Specter died Oct. 14, 2012 at the age of 82. He served five terms as a Republican U.S. Senator and switched to the Democratic Party in 2009, helping to pass President Barack Obama's health care law. He was defeated in the Democratic Party's Senate primary in 2010.