L. Zenobia Coleman Library Sealing and Weatherproofing Project HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY GRANT

FAIN: PC-50001-06

Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS 39174-9700)
Edwina Harris Hamby (Project Director: October 2005 to August 2006)

Tougaloo College, a historically black college in Tougaloo, Mississippi, maintains the L. Zenobia Coleman Library and Art Collection to support academic programs in the humanities. Among the collections are personal papers, oral histories, and memorabilia that document the lives and work of Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as Civil Rights materials that include records of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Mississippi, White Citizens Council literature, and Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party files. Although the library building can be restored, it sustained severe damage to its roof and many windows were completely shattered. In order to restore a stable climate for the special collections, the priority is to prevent further moisture from entering the building and to provide an uninterrupted power source for climate control.