New Collections Enhance the Digital Media Repository for Teaching, Learning, and Research

The University Libraries are committed to providing rich digital collections that meet the teaching, learning, and research needs of Ball State students and faculty and, whenever possible, the broader research community.

An example of this commitment is the Digital Media Repository’s U.S. Civil War Resources for East Central Indiana Collection, a digital gallery of letters, photographs, diaries, government documents, and artifacts residing in institutions in East Central Indiana and now available worldwide over the web to students, historians, K-12 teachers, and Civil War enthusiasts at all levels.

Shown in the montage are copyrighted digital images of artifacts from the Henry County Historical Society.

Creation of the Civil War collection, made possible through a Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) grant, has been a year-long effort involving several University Libraries’ units working with partner institutions, including the Muncie Public Library, Henry County Historical Society, and the United States Vice Presidential Museum at the Dan Quayle Center.

Two recent additions to the collection complete the grant-funded portion of this initiative:
• The Philander Smith Papers, containing resources such as a 96-page diary, government documents, and several letters

• Photographs of Civil War realia from the Henry County Historical Society http://libx.bsu.edu/LSTA/hchs.html

Future additions to this valuable collection of unique Civil War materials are planned as resources are identified. Two other new collections are
• The Commencement Collection, consisting of video-recordings of Ball State’s commencement ceremonies, 1997-2004
• The Library Insider Newsletter Collection, consisting of all issues of the University Libraries’ newsletter since its first issue in August, 2003 at the following URL: http://libx.bsu.edu/collection.php?CISOROOT=/libinsider

As always, thanks to the University Libraries’ personnel whose efforts and work make possible these and other collections.