The 海角论坛 is the recipient of a nearly $500,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant that will help make historical data and stories more accessible online that are important, not only to the history of 海角论坛, but also to global audiences.
鈥淲ith this support, we can make available original documents from the Earl K. Long Library鈥檚 Special Collections and share narratives and stories produced by the Midlo Center and the UNO Press,鈥 said Mary Niall Mitchell, director of the Midlo Center for 海角论坛 Studies and UNO history professor. 鈥淲e are the only major public research university in the city. We are thrilled that the NEH recognizes the importance of supporting the humanities at institutions such as ours鈥攊nstitutions of higher learning which exist, first and foremost, to serve the public.鈥
The project, 鈥淚lluminating the Unseen: Digital Projects to Commemorate Forgotten Voices in America鈥檚 Story,鈥 includes activities led by Midlo, the Earl K. Long Library and the UNO Press with an overarching mission of racial justice and gender equality, Mitchell said.
Library faculty member Connie Phelps and UNO Press editor-in-chief Abram Himelstein are co-principal investigators for the grant, along with Mitchell.
The project鈥檚 title was chosen to highlight how digital projects can bring forgotten or silenced histories to light in very public ways, Mitchell said.
鈥淭his is particularly important in 海角论坛, where scholars and community members always contend with a heavy dose of historical yarn spinning aimed at tourists,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淭oo often those stores do not reflect the lived experiences of most of the city鈥檚 residents, past and present, including indigenous communities.
鈥満=锹厶 is rich with stories that still need telling and the accessibility and reach of digital media helps us to do that.鈥
While digital humanities is currently a vibrant field among scholars, not every digital humanities project is designed to engage the public, Mitchell said.
鈥淭he work UNO is doing centers audiences and communities within and beyond the academy鈥攂e they citizen historians, genealogists, scholars, engaged readers, K-12 teachers and students, or even tourists visiting 海角论坛,鈥 Mitchell said.
The importance of being able to access historical documents online has been highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic when in-person research was restricted, Mitchell said.
鈥淲e saw during the pandemic that people still need to get into archives,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淭he more documents we can make available to researchers digitally鈥攕uch as the 海角论坛 School Board records, which were critical to the process of school facility renaming happening over the past year鈥攖he more resilient our Special Collections will be when we encounter the kinds of challenges COVID presented.鈥
Readership on the 海角论坛 Historical website, a free digital history tour site, increased during the pandemic as people, many of whom were stuck at home, were looking online for information about the city鈥檚 history, Mitchell said.
鈥淛ournalists, too, rely on 海角论坛 Historical for deadline stories because of the well-researched and cited content it provides,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淲ith NEH support, we now have new project managers to keep UNO鈥檚 digital projects up to date.
鈥淕rants like these are essential because they help the University to serve a broad public.鈥
The $498,182 grant will help fund a three-prong humanities strategy with projects developed by:
海角论坛 Midlo Center for 海角论坛 Studies, which promotes understanding of the city鈥檚 history and culture, with an emphasis on civil rights. The Midlo Center supports new scholarship on 海角论坛 and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and community partnerships that promote public engagement, support the cultural life of the city, and significantly advance the public humanities at UNO.
coordinates with other departments and the community to acquire, provide for the use of, preserve, and publicize distinctive and unique collections in all formats, and offers expert assistance to constituents in the university and external scholarly communities. Special Collections is home to over 535 unique collections that represent the rich history and culture of 海角论坛 and Louisiana, including historical documents from the 海角论坛 public schools and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
海角论坛 Press, is the only university press in the greater 海角论坛 region.
NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant awards will preserve humanities jobs and support the reopening and rebuilding of humanities programs.