Within the stacks of paper held in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Archives and Special Collections are thousands of stories. Josh Caster, archives manager at University Libraries, is one of the many staff members helping to bring those stories to the surface.

“If we’re not using this stuff and making connections with people, we’ve basically got a bunch of old paper,” he said. “It’s the people using it that brings it to life.”

Caster, a Husker alumnus, started in Archives and Special Collections as a student before eventually taking on a permanent role. His early experience gave him a good foundation in all aspects of the work and helped him identify a particular interest in reference work, or helping users find the right material for their research.

“I was exposed to the whole gamut of stuff an archivist could do,” Caster said.

Now, Caster gets to work with student workers and, along with Mary Ellen Ducey, university archivist, and other archives staff, pair students with jobs that fit their interests, whether that means the activity or the subject matter. He said it is rewarding to see them grow from student workers to professionals in the field in their own right.

“It’s neat to watch people when they’re freshmen and feeling stuff out and then you can watch them, in real time, gain competencies,” he said. “Eventually sometimes we’ll bring in donors or people interested in certain subjects and it’s nice to be able to be like, ‘You should talk to this student worker.’ They’ll talk about (the subject) with great knowledge and enthusiasm.”

Caster enjoys helping researchers identify which collection holds the answers they are looking for. With so much information at their fingertips, this can be a challenge.

“I’m always looking for the ‘Eureka moment,’” Caster said. “I want people to able to access the great stuff we have. I might not know the answer they’re seeking but I know where to show them to look, so I like connecting those pieces and I like when people walk away with whatever they’re looking for.”

Sometimes successfully finding those answers is a longshot. Recently, for example, a researcher was looking for images of quilts made by a specific quilter. Caster was able to work with them and cross-reference some collections down to the marginalia to find images of the individual quilter’s work.

“It was a needle in a stack of needles,” he said.

Promoting access to this kind of unique material is a passion of Caster’s. The preservation and record keeping and providing access work in tandem to ensure the wealth of information held in the archives is still valuable.

“If people aren’t looking at it, that effort and that great work of everybody that’s been in this department and this library is not being reaped,” Caster said. “I think it’s pretty core to the mission.”

Working with the material has given Caster a great appreciation for university. People might come across a document marking the beginning of a university department or organization or with the signature or an early important figure in university history.

“People will ask, ‘What evidence do you have of the beginnings of the university?’” Caster said. “We have the charter. We’ve got the origin document. There’s heavyweight people who have worked here throughout our history, so it’s cool to know who the real players were.”

Personally, Caster is also interested in some of the environmental history in the collection. Caster enjoys fishing and other outdoor activities outside the office, so he is partial to entries like photos taken by Erwin Barbour, an instrumental figure in the foundation of the Nebraska State Museum, or reports from a biologist working for an early incarnation of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

“He’s got old stocking reports for all these lakes I fish at to this day,” he said.

Caster speaks to people sometimes who don’t realize how many hidden treasures the archives hold about their own interests. A farmer might find relevant information about fertilizers and crop yields. Husker football fans might be amazed by a film reel of the Game of the Century or a photograph of Tom Osborne and Willie Nelson surveying Memorial Stadium for Farm Aid.

“I want to be part of that ecosystem that reaches out and says, ‘You want the stuff we have, even it you don’t know it,’” Caster said. “There’s human interest stuff for anyone here.”

Gems from the archive

Nebraska’s Josh Caster handpicked five of his all-time favorite gems from the University Archives and Special Collections. Check out the slideshow below, where the archives manager shares the stories behind each image with his personal touch and fun descriptions.

Nebraska volleyball held its annual spring match on Saturday against Kansas at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Afterward, first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly and stars Andi Jackson, Rebekah Allick and Ryan Hunter held a post-match press conference to answer questions from the media.

Watch Inside Nebraska’s video highlights from the match and the full press conference via the links below or on the Inside Nebraska YouTube channel. Subscribe to our channel for FREE to get even more daily content on all things Nebraska.

Nebraska football’s NFL Draft drought continued a bit longer than expected Friday night.

Despite having a third-round graded draft prospect, the Cornhuskers failed to hear any of the program’s 2025 NFL Draft prospects’ names called during the first three rounds Thursday and Friday. The Huskers haven’t had a day two selection since 2022 and have not had a first-round pick since cornerback Prince Amukamara’s selection in 2011.

The last day two selection came in 2022 when Cam Jurgens and Cam Taylor-Britt were selected by the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Jurgens signed a recent extension with Philadelphia, making him the higest paid center in the NFL while Taylor-Britt remains a projected starter with the Bengals.

Defensive lineman Ty Robinson had a mixed bag of NFL draft grades, with some analysts projecting the former Blackshirt as a second-round prospect. Others had him around the third- to fourth-round range, as ESPN lists Robinson as the tenth best prospect remaining entering Saturday’s final three rounds.

“Robinson started 47 games at Nebraska, and he worked out well at the combine. Among defensive linemen, he had the fastest 40-yard dash (4.83), second-best broad jump (9 feet, 11 inches) and fourth-best vertical jump (33.5 inches). His tape reflects the testing,” Steve Muench of ESPN wrote about Robinson.

“He explodes off the ball, shoots his hands and pushes the pocket. He tracks the quarterback well and has active hands. Robinson is also effective picking blockers and looping around when running line stunts. He slips blocks and gets into gaps as a run defender. And he can set the edge when he lines up on the outside,” Muench wrote.

Robinson is the second-best projected defensive lineman available behind Florida State’s Joshua Farmer. USA Today projects Robinson as a selection in the fourth round at pick No. 135 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Defensive back Tommi Hill remains in the top 50 remaining on ESPN’s big board despite missing six games in 2024 with a foot injury. Hill did not run at the NFL combine and was unavailable for Nebraska’s spring Pro Day activities.

“Hill is at his best reading receivers and breaking on passes in off-coverage. He attacks the ball as soon as it’s in the air in zone, and he has the tools to develop into an effective press corner. Hill is a natural hands catcher who tracks the ball well and picked off four passes in 2023. He has the long arms to get his hands on passes without having to go through the receiver. As a run defender, Hill steps up, chases and wraps up productively,” Muench wrote about Hill.

USA Today lists Hill as a projected fifth-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings at pick No. 139.

Nebraska receiver Isaiah Neyor is listed as the No. 145 best prospect remaining after spending one season in Lincoln in 2024 following stints at Wyoming and Texas. Neyor impressed scouts in his pre-draft process with his physical traits, running well at the Nebraska Pro Day in March.

“His blend of size, speed and length is rare. He can get off press and create late separation on vertical routes. Defenders frequently hold him to prevent him from getting behind the coverage. Neyor runs away from coverage and plucks on the run when running crossers. He moves into pockets in zone coverage. He’s tough going over the middle and can hold on after taking a big hit,” Muench wrote about Neyor.

USA Today projects Neyor as a sixth-round selection to the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 183.

Council Bluffs native and former Husker tight end Thomas Fidone II enters Saturday as the No. 63 available prospect by ESPN. The 6-5, 243 pound tight end was ranked just outside the top ten in his pre-draft position ranking.

“Fidone is a crisp route runner for his size. He finds pockets in zone looks, and he can make the first defender miss after catching the ball. Fidone’s arm length is outstanding, and he has big hands. He can extend and pluck passes out of the air. Fidone needs to get stronger and fill out his frame, but he can wall off defenders in space and develop into an effective blocker over time,” Muench wrote on Fidone.

USA Today projects Fidone as a sixth-round selection to the Baltimore Ravens, selecting him at pick No. 203.

Another potential selection is defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher, who is not projected on ESPN or USA Today’s mock drafts for the final three rounds. Hutmacher is also not listed as one of the top prospects remaining on either site, but had received top 300 prospect grades from other pre-draft analysts.

If three Huskers are selected in Saturday’s final three rounds, Nebraska would match 2022’s NFL Draft output with Jurgens, Taylor-Britt and receiver Samori Toure. Four selections would be the most since the 2016 NFL Draft, when defensive linemen Vincent Valentine and Maliek Collins, offensive tackle Alex Lewis, and fullback Andy Janovich were chosen.

The fourth round begins Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT with coverage available on the NFL Network and ESPN.

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