Mission Statement
Vision
Role and Scope
History
Information and
  Directions

Mission Statement

The University Archives/Ethnic Studies Center supports Inman E. Page Library’s mission to enhance and support the curriculum of Lincoln University of Missouri by preserving historical material and promoting cultural awareness.

To meet this end, the Archives:

• collects, preserves and makes available to the public any historical record(s) and/or artifact(s) created and/or received in connection with any social, military and/or academic transaction(s) of the University and her surrounding African/Black American community;
• collects, preserves and makes available to the public ethnic related collections, art, bibliographies and publications including newspapers, journals, books and film; and
• develops, supports and sponsors workshops, exhibits and/or other programming that promotes cultural awareness and/or creates multicultural and/or multiracial experiences among students, alumni, faculty/staff and the surrounding community.

Vision

The University Archives/Ethnic Studies Center aspires to be a leading institution in African/Black American research, specifically in the area of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Role and Scope

The Archives enhances the University’s reputation for ethnic studies by improving the cognitive and effective development of its students, faculty/staff and surrounding community, and by enabling the University to coordinate a wide range of activities aimed at fostering multicultural and multiracial experiences. In order to fulfill the goals set forth in the Mission Statement, the Archives performs the following functions:

1. Assists: The primary function of the Archives is to assist University and community patrons in research or interpretation of the Lincoln University Collection.
2. Collects: the Archives works with various University affiliates, including, students, Alumni and faculty/staff, and the surrounding community to collect papers/documents, journals, books, newspapers, images or graphic material, artifacts/memorabilia, audio/video recordings, and/or oral interviews that document the University’s academic and/or social life and/or history.
3. Develops: the Archives develops in-house exhibits on ethnic and/or University related issues, objects and/or information. In addition, the Archives develops the Black Bib/Ethnic Studies and Rare Book Collections within the Inman E. Page Library system.
4. Preservation: the Archives works with the various University departments, schools and offices to appraise individual collections and selects those to be preserved for future use.
5. Promotes: the Archives promotes cultural and historical awareness through sponsoring and hosting presentations, traveling exhibits and other programming.
6. Research: the Archives regularly engages in research to further develop existing collections and/or to add new collections.

History

The University Archives/Ethnic Studies Center was established by the University’s Administration and Faculty in 1978 under a grant from the Advanced Institutions Development Program (AIDP) of the United States Office of Education.

The University, with over one hundred years of service as an HBCU and present-day diverse student and faculty population, planned this department to foster multi-cultural and multi-racial experiences. Its main challenge was to effectively bridge the cultural and subcultural chasms that often separate various ethnic groups. In 1997, the department’s function expanded to serve as the official repository of the University.