Nine projects receive Library Collections Enhancement Initiative funding

Nine projects—from expanding collections in Puerto Rican Studies and Latin American labor history to widening the University’s holdings of orchestral music scores and performance parts—have been selected in the latest round of the Library Collections Enhancement Initiative (LCEI).

Funded through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), the LCEI initiative strengthens campus research capacities for faculty and students by providing UW–Madison libraries with flexibility to address critical and emerging collections needs.

Awarded proposals are chosen by the OVCR and fund one-time purchases of library titles focused on a specific research area. This $150,000 initiative is supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

“At their core, libraries value and embrace collaboration. UW–Madison Libraries have a rich history of collaborating within the library itself and with our partners on campus and nationally,” says Erla Heyns, dean and vice provost of UW–Madison Libraries. “The Library Collections Enhancement Initiative is a vibrant example of a collaboration with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the UW–Madison Libraries and faculty partners. The funding provided by this initiative allows us to strengthen library collections in key areas of study, benefiting not only our community but also our national partners who rely on our resources through agreements within the Big Ten Academic Alliance and beyond.”

Each LCEI proposal must be led by at least one faculty member in partnership with at least one librarian with relevant subject expertise.

“These projects support acquisitions of interest to scholars and students alike, whether by making visible the stories of marginalized communities from around the world, ensuring access to rare, fragile, and ephemeral materials in non-English languages, highlighting citizen science and non-traditional methods of advancing drug discovery and research, or enabling research into historical printing practices and paper animation techniques,” says Florence Hsia, associate vice chancellor for research in the arts and humanities. “One project, for instance, will foster wide-ranging research into environmental change in Southeast Asia by acquiring materials produced by Indigenous Peoples as well as multinational corporations.”

Over three rounds of funding, the LCEI has now supported 29 projects to enhance library collections.

The nine projects are:

• “Changing Nature in Southeast Asia: Primary and Secondary Source Collection Development,” Veronika Kusumaryati, principal investigator and assistant professor of Anthropology; and Larry Ashmun, co-principal investigator and Southeast Asian and Hmong Studies librarian
• “Citizen Pharmacy: Destabilizing Knowledge Hierarchies in Psychoactive Science,” Lucas Richert, principal investigator and professor of Pharmacy; and Micaela Sullivan-Fowler, co-principal investigator and curator/History of Health Sciences librarian
• “Critical Additions: Key Works in Puerto Rican Studies and Latin American Labor Histories,” Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, principal investigator and assistant professor of History; and Laura Martin, co-principal investigator and Latin America/Caribbean/Iberia librarian
• “Digital Back-file Archives for Soviet Periodicals,” Irina Shevelenko, principal investigator and professor of German, Nordic and Slavic Studies; and Andy Spencer, co-principal investigator and Slavic, East European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies librarian
• “Enhancing the East Asian Collection: Acquiring Ming Collection Series – Individual Collections Series in Ming Dynasty, VI (明別集叢刊. 第六輯)” Rania Huntington, principal investigator and professor of Asian Languages and Cultures; and Anlin Yang, co-principal investigator and East Asian Studies librarian
• “Exploring the Hidden World of Meggendorfer’s Movable Books,” Julie Chen, principal investigator and professor of Art; and Robin Rider, co-principal investigator and curator of Special Collections
• “Indian Media and Communication at the Turn of Liberalization,” Anirban Baishya, principal investigator and assistant professor of Communication Arts; and Todd Michelson-Ambelang, co-principal investigator and South Asian Studies librarian
• “Orchestral Repertoire Scores and Performance Materials,” Oriol Sans, principal investigator and assistant professor of Music; and Cat Richmond, co-principal investigator and Music Ensemble librarian
• “Oxford Scholarly Editions Online Enhancement Initiative,” Alex Dressler, principal investigator and professor of Classics and Ancient Near East Studies; and Carly Sentieri, co-principal investigator and Classics librarian

To learn more about the projects visit: https://research.wisc.edu/library-collections-enhancement-initiative/.

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By Natasha Kassulke, natasha.kassulke@wisc.edu