A neighborhood is a rich tapestry of people, places, events, and experiences. For Patty Daniels, a member of the Drake Neighborhood Association’s board of directors, the story of the Drake Neighborhood is both deeply personal and steeped in vast collective history.
Daniels will discuss her personal experiences in the Drake Neighborhood and examine the changes that make the neighborhood so special during a free public lecture Tuesday, April 14. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room and include an exploration of the Neighborhood Association’s historic documents, records, and photographs. There will also be a demonstration of the library’s online finding aid, which helps researchers navigate the archival collection. The talk is free and open to the public.
Drake Neighborhood Association’s historical records, held in the Drake University Archives, are a collection materials dating from 1979, the year the association was founded. The collection records over 30 years of community involvement on behalf of the association’s board members and general membership. Archival materials reflect changes in the neighborhood over time, and are a valuable resource for engaging residents in current and future neighborhood projects.
Drake staff and students have maintained the archives since fall 2013. Student Archive Assistants arrange, process, and digitize files while updating an online finding aid for the archives. The project advances the Drake University Archives & Special Collections’ mission to collect, preserve and make accessible those historical materials about Drake or related to Drake. The Drake neighborhood fits that requirement and the archive will be a great resource for students, faculty, neighborhood residents, and general researchers in learning more about Drake’s campus surroundings.
The Drake Neighborhood Archive Project was made possible by a Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant. For more information contact University Archives Associate Katherine Lincoln at Katherine.Lincoln@drake.edu.