General Preservation Assessment and Rehousing of the Alumni and Campus Life Photograph Collection

FAIN: PG-52391-15

Delaware State University (Dover, DE 19901-2202)
Emily R. Cottle (Project Director: May 2014 to January 2015)
Rejoice E. Scherry (Project Director: January 2015 to December 2016)

A preservation assessment and the purchase of supplies to rehouse a collection consisting of approximately 250 linear feet of administrative records, course catalogs, yearbooks, school papers, administrative records, as well as more than 4,000  photographs documenting the nearly 125-year history of this historically black university.

The Delaware State University Archives and Special Collections seek $3,114 to support the survey and preservation of the Alumni and Campus Life Photograph Collection. The collection consists of approximately 4,500 photographs, measuring 13 linear feet and dating from the earliest years of the university to the present day. Established as the State College for Colored Students in 1891 under the second Morrill Act, Delaware State University now ranks among the top 10 HBCUs in the United States. Delaware State University is a leading institution, and its heritage as an HBCU tells the story of how it faced the challenges of racial segregation and the modern era. The collection provides students, academic staff, and researchers insights into this heritage’s deep cultural implications, both locally and globally.