Chicago Collections
Chicago Collections Consortium is a membership organization of more than 45 libraries, museums, historical societies, and other cultural heritage organizations collaborating to preserve and promote the history of the Chicago region.
History
Launched in 2015 after several years of planning among its charter members, Chicago Collections now sponsors a wide range of educational, community engagement, and professional development programs, including exhibitions and public lectures.[1] Chicago Collections also provides information services such as its Cooperative Reference Network, as well as instructional materials available on member web sites. Chicago Collections has established partnerships with other non-profit organizations in the City of Chicago, including National Public Radio, Chicago Metro History Education Center, and the Library of Congress's Teaching with Primary Sources program, to answer questions about Chicago history from researchers and the general public, and to promote use of member collections and services by teachers and students of all ages.
With funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,[2] Chicago Collections has developed EXPLORE Chicago Collections (ECC), a digital portal providing access to more than 117,000 images and 6,800 archival collections from member institutions (as of September 2019).[3] The Center for Research Libraries awarded its 2016 Primary Source Award for Access to Tracy J. Seneca (University of Illinois at Chicago), for her role in leading the development of the ECC portal.[4]
Governing Members
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Center for Research Libraries
- Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- Chicago History Museum
- Chicago Public Library
- Chicago State University
- Columbia College Chicago
- DePaul University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Loyola University Chicago
- Newberry Library
- Northwestern University
- Roosevelt University
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago
Participating Members
Associate Members
- Chicago Botanic Garden
- Chicago Zoological Society
- Creative Audio Archive
- Francis Willard Historical Association
- Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park
- Lake Forest College
- Lincoln Park Zoo
- Oak Park Public Library
- Theatre Historical Society of America
- Adler Planetarium
- Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
- Rush University Medical Center
- Wilmette Historical Museum
- Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Partner Program
- Henry Crown and Company
- Union League Club of Chicago
Notes
- Free, David (December 2015). "Chicago Collections launches ExploreChicago Collections digital portal". College & Research Library News. 76 (11): 574–577. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- "Chicago Collections Consortium: Portal Implementation". The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grants Database. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- Johnson, Steve (November 4, 2015). "Chicago Collections Brings City-related Archives Under One Digital Roof". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- Center for Research Libraries (Spring 2016). "2016 Primary Source Awards". CRL Focus on Global Resources. 35 (2): 2. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
Additional References
Long, Elisabeth (October 22, 2015). “A Single Portal to Chicago’s History,” The University of Chicago News. Accessed September 17, 2016.
Strandmark, Matthew (September 11, 2017). "EXPLORE Chicago Collections," The American Archivist Reviews Portal. Accessed March 19, 2017.
Walter, Scott (February 2016). “It Takes a City: Chicago Collections Brings Collaboration to the Next Level,” ILA Reporter 34 (1). Accessed September 21, 2016