The University of Alabama at Birmingham has acquired new historical collections for their libraries and future core curriculum. Mervyn H. Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences added several primary-source collections for use in African American studies, African American history, and other interdisciplinary fields in the humanities and social sciences. These new resources will be used in UAB’s Signature Core Curriculum, which will officially replace the existing core beginning in 2022, according to a statement from UAB.
“Approaching learning from important historical and cultural perspectives is integral to the evolving UAB undergraduate experience,” said UAB Provost Pam Benoit. “Access to the new materials that provide a deeper understanding of Black history and its central place in the Birmingham community is a tremendous asset to our faculty and students.”
The newly received collections, available at the library databases, comprise three sub-collections: Black Studies Center, Black Abolitionists Papers and ProQuest Civil Rights Era, as well as 14 historical newspapers, including The Chicago Defender (1912-1975), The New York Times (1851-2017), The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001) and Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002).
“I am particularly thrilled to make this announcement in February as we celebrate and honor Black History Month,” said Kasia Gonnerman, UAB Libraries dean. “I’ve already received a number of enthusiastic responses from several UAB faculty, who look forward to incorporating these new resources into their teaching and research.”
UAB is currently evaluating and refining courses as part of implementing its Signature Core Curriculum. School officials anticipated that many of the newly acquired resources will be used in the new curriculum, “as a key component is integrating classroom learning with local and world events.” The statement states.
