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ZSR Special Collections & Archives is pleased to report that the Religion in North Carolina Digital Collection project has received LSTA funding  for its third year. Wake Forest’s ZSR Library has partnered with Duke Divinity School and the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill for this project, which seeks to provide digital access to primary source materials from all religious groups in North Carolina.

Federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services has enabled the three partner institutions to collect and digitize nearly 800,000 pages during the first two years of the grant project. A large percentage of this material is drawn from the collections at Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC, but the digital collection also includes substantial contributions from over 200 other libraries and archives throughout North Carolina.

The collection includes a wide array of publications, from sermons and meeting minutes to camp hymnals and cookbooks. Religious bodies with long histories in North Carolina are well represented in the collection. But the project staff has also made it a priority to solicit materials from many underrepresented religious groups. The result is a wide-ranging collection that will serve as an important resource for anyone with an interest in the cultural history of the state.

In this third and final year the project’s emphasis will shift to education and outreach initiatives. Duke Divinity School Ph.D. candidate Ken Woo has been hired as the project’s doctoral fellow for research and education. Ken will be making contact with schools, religious institutions, and community groups throughout the state to give presentations and solicit feedback on the project’s digital resources. Here at ZSR, the Special Collections and Archives department has hired WFU Divinity School student Monique Swaby in a grant-funded summer position. Monique is working to identify potentially interested groups at Wake Forest and throughout the regional community. Monique will also begin the process of developing educational applications for the Religion in NC digital collections, using the primary sources to create narratives that will connect students and researchers to the state’s diverse and fascinating religious heritage. Check this blog later in the summer for Monique’s updates!

For more information about the Religion in NC project, please contact Special Collections & Archives. We welcome questions and input, especially from individuals or groups who would like to take part in our outreach initiatives.