Project Title:  African American Women Students at the University of Iowa, 1900-1950

 

Department/organizational unit(s): Digital Library Services

 

Mentor Name(s): Nicole Saylor

 

Brief project description: Between 1913 and 1946 the University of Iowa barred African American students from campus dormitories. Faced with limited housing options, many women worked as servants in at least part exchange for housing. Out of a concern for students study habits, working conditions, and other issues, the Iowa Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs founded the Iowa Federation Home, a dormitory for African American women that operated from 1919-1950. This dorm was among only a few in the nation owned and operated by a formally organized group of African American women. The University of Iowa dormitories were integrated by African American women in 1946 when five women—Leanne Howard, Esther Walls, Nancy Henry, Gwen Davis, and Virginia Harper—integrated Currier Hall.

 

The IMLS fellow would begin this project by culling bibliographic references from the research of Richard M. Breaux, a former History of Education doctoral student from UI, who examined the IFCWC’s history. Those resources, along with other pertinent documents from existing paper and digital collections, would form the basis for this sub-collection of the Iowa Digital Library’s African American Women in Iowa Collection. The project involves working with non-UI archives, such as the State Historical Society and the African American Cultural Center and Museum in Cedar Rapids.

 

Examples of key activities:

• Examining archival collections to identify items for the collection
• Copyright research
• Digitization
• Metadata creation
• Web page development
• Grant research

 

Number of students that can be accommodated: Either 1 or 2

 

Duration: Fall 07 only

 

Training:

Prerequisite skills: Basic computer skills

Acquired skills: Working knowledge of CONTENTdm, PhotoshopCS, and Adobe Contribute software; collection development skills; experience using Dublin Core; digitizing photograph and paper documents; HTML/web design skills, research and writing skills (collection overview and grant-writing work)

 

Software/Hardware Involved:  CONTENTdm (digital asset management software), PhotoshopCS (photo editing software), Adobe Contribute 4.0 (web design software)

 

External expertise requested in/for:  Experience working with Preservation on the digitization of fragile documents

 

Tangible end product, if any:  Digital collection, including explanatory Web site