In support of American University’s Public History program, Special Collections has launched a new collecting initiative on the history of museum exhibition design. Our first acquisition, the archive of the design firm, Staples & Charles, is arriving in installments. The first set of materials relate to exhibition work for the Chicago Historical Society (1975-1987) and the Levine Museum of the New South (1999-2001). The archive contains artwork, catalogs, design and fabrication binders, drawings, photographs, posters, press kits, programs, publications and reviews.
Monthly Archives: June 2014
Collections of Peace Corps Groups
AU Archives serves as the home for the records of National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) and three of its member groups – the Friends of Colombia, the Friends of Ghana and the Friends of Nigeria.
The NPCA is a non-profit organization whose goal is to connect and celebrate Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. It currently has over 50,000 individual members and 140 member groups. Its archive contains materials documenting the development and evolution of the NPCA from its founding in the late 1970s to the present.
The Friends of Colombia’s mission is to provide a community for returned volunteers and staff as well as actively supporting community-based activities in Colombia. The Friends of Colombia Archive includes organizational records, biographies of Peace Corps volunteers, correspondence, and newsletters.
The Friends of Ghana’s mission is to help promote a better understanding of the Ghanaian people, to serve as an essential resource for and about the Peace Corps Ghana community; and to facilitate its members’ engagement in Ghanaian issues. The Friends of Ghana Archive consists of annual reports, financial statements, and newsletters documenting its activities including Peace Corps partnership projects in Ghana.
The Friends of Nigeria was founded in 1996 to educate the public about Nigeria and promote continual service to the Nigerian people. In addition to returned volunteers and staff, members of other organizations who served in the country are welcome to join. The archive consists of organizational records including by-laws, annual reports, newsletters, financial records, and membership directories.