James C. Kirkpatrick Library Awarded Digitization Grant

By Jeff Murphy, May 23, 2019

WARRENSBURG, MO - The University of Central Missouri’s James C. Kirkpatrick Library (JCKL), in collaboration with Trails Regional Library, has been awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant in the amount of $26,246 from the Missouri State Library. Funding will help support the creation of a regional digitization center to assist community partners in Johnson and Lafayette Counties, Missouri and surrounding counties with scanning, cataloging, and hosting unique collections.

Many local partners have expressed interest in participating in the project. In the Warrensburg community, partners include the Johnson County Historical Society and The Daily Star-Journal. The Lafayette County Historical Society has also expressed interest. Within the UCM campus, partners include the School of Communication, History, and Interdisciplinary Studies; School of Visual and Performing Arts; and the Gallery of Art and Design.

"The Warrensburg community has so much history that is invisible to most of the world. My hope is that through this project we are able to share the stories of Warrensburg and neighboring towns with a global audience," says project manager Josh Welker, associate professor at JCKL.

“Our library has long needed a way to improve discoverability and access to some of the unique content held in our branches. We appreciate our inclusion in this project, which will allow us to more easily share the history of Johnson and Lafayette Counties with our patrons,” said Nate Beyerink, technical services supervisor and project liaison for Trails Regional Library.

This project will identify and prioritize local area collections that are candidates for digitization. The goal of this project is to build capacity amongst the partners in preparation for creating digital collections.

This project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.