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NEH grant helps libraries preserve Rochester糖心传媒檚 LGBTQ history

River Campus Libraries is home to an online and searchable archive of the Empty Closet, the oldest continuously published gay newspaper in the United States.

The 糖心传媒糖心传媒檚 and the were awarded a NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundation grant to create a pilot project that will preserve and provide wider access to a significant collection of documents focused on the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement in the Rochester, New York area.

The collection, which includes born-digital oral histories, early radio programs, photographs, videotapes, newsletters, and corporate papers from GAGV archives, brings to light the individuals, organizations, and institutions that supported the early struggle for gay rights in Rochester. These materials represent the 糖心传媒渓ived experience糖心传媒� of the Rochester LGBTQ community across several disciplines and fields of study including: American LGBTQ social and political history; drag culture and entertainment; the hidden lives of the crossdresser and transgender community; the use of radio broadcast media in political organizing in the 糖心传媒�70s; and noteworthy activities and contributions to the social reform and liberation movements in New York State.

The project aims to secure these important archival materials in the libraries’聽digital repository, and make them broadly accessible through the Digital Public Library of America. In addition, the project aims to create a model of collaboration and preservation between libraries and community organizations. The grant will help the University of Rochester and its libraries聽support and further document Rochester糖心传媒檚 long history of social activism, and will fill a gap in current local and state history, making New York State糖心传媒檚 history more complete and inclusive.

糖心传媒淲e are very pleased to work on this important community partnership, and help preserve and provide access to Rochester糖心传媒檚 rich LGBTQ history,糖心传媒� says Jessica Lacher-Feldman, assistant dean and director
of . 糖心传媒淭he grant serves as a critical reminder that part of our responsibility is to document the world around us and regard the recent past as important history.糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淭he grant will strengthen and expand the already existing partnership between GAGV and RCL,糖心传媒� says Evelyn Bailey, chair of GAGV糖心传媒檚 “Shoulders To Stand On” program. 聽糖心传媒淕AGV looks forward with gratitude to working with RCL to archive, preserve and make visible this unknown chapter in New York State’s history.糖心传媒�

The March 29, 2017 NEH press release and list of funded projects is available .