Creating Capacity to Improve Accessibility and Discoverability of the Loras College Archives and Special Collections in Support of the Humanities

FAIN: ZED-284281-22

Loras College (Dubuque, IA 52001-4327)
Kristen Smith (Project Director: May 2021 to July 2024)

The development of programing and administrative work in the Special Collections and Center for Dubuque History of Loras College, retaining 13 jobs.

The Loras College Library, Special Collections, Center for Dubuque History, and college’s archives, provide essential support for instruction in humanities program and the general education curriculum. These collections support student projects and faculty research in the humanities, as well as the work of scholars and community members external to Loras. The pandemic has had a significant impact on staffing the collections and this grant requests funds to restore staffing to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, it addresses the lack of online access to materials in Special Collections and the Center for Dubuque History and restarts projects set aside during the pandemic. At the conclusion of the grant the Library will be fully staffed, archival materials will be more accessible, rare book holdings will be more visible, and a book will be published, all of which will contribute to strengthening the support for the humanities and increasing student exposure to humanities-related research.