The Archives of Appalachia holds the stories of a region often misunderstood, but time is running out to save them. With the help of a $170,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ “Save America’s Treasures” program, historic materials will soon be safeguarded and made available for years to come.
The grant, one of the largest the Archives has received, will fund the preservation and digitization of materials compiled by ETSU’s Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services.
“This is one of the largest grants that our department has received,” said Dr. Jeremy Smith, director of the Archives of Appalachia. “Anything that can fund a couple years of work is a very robust kind of grant for us.”
This collection marks the center’s 40th anniversary, including nearly 1,000 audio recordings, 1,500 photographs and a large variety of documents that highlight the region’s rich history. The materials also include unique footage from live festivals, shining light on the hidden array of true Appalachia.
The project is estimated to take around 3,300 hours to complete and will allow the Archives to hire a full-time employee for two years to catalog, rehouse and digitize the materials using professional practices. Once preserved, the collection will be accessible both in person and online, providing global access to these resources.
“The end result is a fully arranged, fully cataloged collection, with select items digitized and available globally,” Smith said.
Currently, the Archives’ website attracts around 65,000 users per year from over 50 countries.
“This one collection we have represents just a small fraction of our overall holdings,” said Smith. “We have plenty of collections, plenty of ambition, plenty of projects. We just need more people to do the work here.”
Visitors can explore physical collections in the Sherrod Library’s reading room, located on the fourth floor, or explore digital materials online at https://www.etsu.edu/cas/cass/archives/.
