July 14, 2015
For Immediate Release

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University's president Dr. Michael V. Carter announced today that the university is one of a select group of 42 institutions nationwide chosen by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in a Consortium on Digital Resources for Teaching and Research.

The Consortium intends to improve teaching and learning, enhance faculty and student/faculty research, and streamline administrative capabilities through a uniform digital system of cataloging important research material collections.

A $2.2 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will support three years of workshops for librarians and faculty and staff members and will subsidize use of Shared Shelf, Artstor's digital asset management service already used by institutions such as Harvard and Cornell.

With this grant, digital documentation of collections held by Campbellsville University and 41 other institutions will now be maintained‎ and made publicly accessible via the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) through Artstor, the nonprofit organization that provides Shared Shelf and serves as one of DPLA's content-providing “hubs.”

Campbellsville will digitize the Beulah Campbell Collection of children's literature, original illustrations and author's correspondence. It is hoped that this collection, primarily used by professors in the School of Education, will find a larger audience, including use by distance learners, and pave the way for the digitalization of additional collections and resources.

“We're very pleased to announce this grant award and opportunity to participate in this national consortium,” Carter said.

“With these funds, we will be able to digitize our Beulah Campbell collection of children's literature for inclusion in ArtStor. This is a great opportunity and recognition of CU's growing national reputation and fulfillment of Vision 2025 goals.”

CIC President Richard Ekman said, “As digitization allows hidden collections to be shared, teachers and scholars all over the country will benefit. These 42 institutions—some of which are in remote locations—are known for their dedication to teaching and for providing life-changing liberal arts education to students from all backgrounds. Through the Consortium, they will be able to gain access to an important national digital resource. Their one-of-a-kind collections will be more visible and more widely used.”

Artstor President James Shulman said, “The Mellon Foundation's support will enable important collections—oral histories of the Ottawa people, the Civil Rights movement in Greensboro, 17th century maps—to be managed and cared for. But the collaboration among these CIC colleges also will provide an on-ramp for these collections to flow into an emerging national digital platform. We are delighted to partner with CIC in supporting these projects.”

The first meeting of the Consortium will take place in Washington, D.C., Sept. 10-12.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 755 nonprofit independent colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that has worked since 1956 to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of private higher education's contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities as well as conferences, seminars, and other programs that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility. CIC conducts the largest annual conference of college and university presidents. CIC also provides support to state fundraising associations that organize programs and generate contributions for private colleges and universities. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.