As part of the jubilee of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, we look back on the people, places and moments that helped shape our faculty and university. Some of these stories live on in memories, others are hidden away in photographs.
Looking at an old photograph can bring back more than just a name. It can reveal memoriesof the people, places, and moments that shaped Maastricht University in it early years.
To help preserve this shared history, Maastricht University Library is making a unique collection of historical photographs accessible. Through a series of photo FAIRification sessions, current and former colleagues come together to identify faces, locations and events captured in images from Maastricht University’s early years. In doing so, they help safeguard the stories behind the photographs for future generations.
During the first session, former UM employees came together to look through historical images and help add missing information to the collection. Names were recognised, stories resurfaced, and small details suddenly became part of a much larger history.
The collection covers the period from 1975 to 2003 and shows events, people and buildings connected to the development of Rijksuniversiteit Limburg into Maastricht University. The archive was formerly managed by UM's Archive, Documentation and Postal Affairsdepartment (ADP) and is now held by Maastricht University Library.
Through this project, Maastricht UniversityLibrary is not only preserving photographs, but also the knowledge connected to them. By documenting names, events and personal stories, the library helps ensure UM’s institutional memory remains accessible for future generations of students, researchers, teachers, and staff.
For the participants,this session was not only about recognising faces, but also about revisiting an important part of UM’s early history.
Gerard Majoor, who started at the Eight Medical Faculty in 1974, described the experience as a form of nostalgia. “It is very special to look back at photos from the early days,” he explained. “At the same time, it is important that the library is doing this now. In ten years time, some of this knowledge may no longer be available.”
The photos also brought back unexpected memories. One image from 1983 showed Majoor in a tutorial group, wearing a tie. “I never wore a tie,” he laughed. “But the proof is there.” Small details like this show how the photo collection can reveal both personal stories and broader institutional history.
Cintha, who worked at the university from 1981 to 2024, remembered the early years as a time when the university still felt small and familiar. “It was a very nice time. Everything was still small, and you knew many people,” she said. For her, the value of the collection lies in being able to see who contributed to the university over the years.
According to project coordinator Maryam Mazaheri, many photos still lack contextual information. By combining technological support with the knowledge of people who were part of UM’s history, the library hopes to enrich the collection step by step.
The projectteam is also experimenting with a test system that uses AI-assisted facial recognition to group photographs of individuals identified by the system as the same person. Once a person is identified, this information is applied to related photographs, supporting both the identification process and more efficient metadata enrichment. However, technology cannot do everything, and the knowledge and memories of former and current UM employees remain essential for adding context, stories, and historical meaning to the photographs.
More sessions will be organised throughout the jubilee year. People who were involved with Maastricht University between 1975 and 2003 are warmly invited to join and help preserve this shared history.
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