U of M Libraries to digitize black history documents

The University of Minnesota Libraries plans to digitize about a half-million pages of print documents on the experience of African-Americans.

The university will use a $225,000 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources for the two-year project.

The grant also will allow the university to make audio, video and image resources available online.

Cecily Marcus is curator of the university's Givens Collection of African-American Literature. Marcus tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press the university is "trying to call attention to the importance of everyday activity of African-Americans."

Some of the materials date to the 16th century and will come from 70 collections within the library system's Archives and Special Collections Department.

All of the digitizing must be done by hand because many of the documents are delicate.