The development of online databases has totally changed the world of research. Sure this is a given for most people nowadays, but it’s still worth mentioning. Searching a database is simply TONS faster than paging through one (or multiple) books! There are all kinds of examples of this (as many as there are online databases), but the example that prompted this observation was: The Closed College Index.

This site is terrific and is maintained by Ray Brown as a HOBBY! Good for you, Ray! There are many people who appreciate all the work you’ve done, and you’ll never even know most of them. But I’m sure they’re grateful!

Basically, this site is a list, grouped by state, of colleges and universities that have either closed their doors or changed their names. No longer do you have to grab Brenner’s Encyclopedia of College and University Name Histories or de Gruyter’s American Universities and Colleges or a similar resource and page through it. Just click the name of the state and there you go!

Search tip: The schools are listed only by their original names, so you’ll find your information much faster if you CTRL-F and type a word from the name you’re familiar with.