The UMKC Libraries are pleased to announce the Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded us a grant of $15,000 to support our upcoming digital project titled “From Kansas City to Beijing: Digitizing the Collection of Journalist Edgar Snow”.
The Edgar Snow Collection at the UMKC Libraries contains the personal archives of international journalist and Kansas City native Edgar Snow, including photographs, correspondence, and film footage from his wartime reporting years (1928-1957). Highlights of the collection include materials related to the development of American-Chinese relations in the 20th century and Chinese history from the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912 to the present. This generous MHC grant provides funding to hire a fellow who can digitize and describe this collection, making it digital for researchers across the globe.
The MHC is the only statewide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971. The UMKC Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives, founded in 1937 with the donation of the Robert Snyder, Jr. Collection to the University of Kansas City, steward collections of primary source materials rich in the humanities. The Digital Projects department provides digital access to these collections, and for this major initiative, Digital Projects has partnered with University Archives to highlight and provide access to one of the largest collections maintained at the UMKC Libraries. University Archives, officially established in 1977, is the official repository for UMKC campus administrative records meeting permanent retention, and for materials of historical value related to university functions and the campus community.
If you’d like more information about the grant project, reach out to project director Mēgan A. Oliver at megan.a.oliver@umkc.edu. For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314/781-9660 or 800/357-0909 or email clarice@mohumanities.org.
