New U of M search tool makes black history more accessible

The University of Minnesota Libraries, in partnership with the Penumbra Theatre Company, has launched an online search tool to make black history more freely available.

Umbra Search provides access to over 400,000 digitized archival materials documenting African-American history from more than 1,000 libraries, archives and cultural heritage institutions across the United States.

Director Cecily Marcus says it'll allow students and scholars to tell stories that have never been told before.

The university says the materials touch every subject and discipline and show every part of the country. They feature everything from music to oral histories to photographs, maps, handwritten letters and more.