Denver Public Library (Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library)

The Preserving Black Western Legacies project will support the digitization of collections that document the lives of African Americans who settled in Denver and the American West. The project will enhance outreach and expand access to the Western Legacies Museum, located within the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, a branch of the Denver Public Library. The library will hire a project archivist to work with staff to digitize an estimated 150 linear feet of material featuring historically significant African Americans, making 14 of its most heavily used collections available online to staff, visitors, and researchers worldwide. The project team will also develop a digital exhibition using the newly digitized materials. The project archivist and senior librarians will work with local educators to create two curriculum kits that teachers can use in their classrooms to enhance the teaching of African American history.