The Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives (the Archives), part of University Library at IU Indianapolis, is the new archival home of The Chronicle of Philanthropy (The Chronicle), a national magazine and digital platform covering trends in charitable giving and the nonprofit world. Based in Washington, D.C., the publication is aimed at charity leaders, foundation executives, fund raisers, and other nonprofit professionals. The recent gift agreement with The Chronicle provides for the long-term preservation of bound historical editions of the magazine in the Archives, and will make these back issues freely available online via IU’s Digital Collections website. While early editions of The Chronicle are currently available in subscription databases, these are behind paywalls and exist in a degraded text-only format. Team members in the Archives, including IU Indy student employees, will digitize these print originals, then develop metadata (data that describes online records making them easier to find, manage, and use), and ultimately share these products as an organized online collection, offering scholars and learners free access to the full early Chronicle editions, including photographs and graphs. Access to these historical issues will allow researchers to find industry reactions to historical events, follow the development of nonprofit movements, and study prominent individuals in philanthropy.
“While working with scholars I have seen first-hand the impact The Chronicle’s reporting has when researching philanthropy. I’m excited University Library can bring this important and historic journalism to more researchers through an open-access digital collection,” says Denise Rayman, the library’s Director of Distinctive Collections, who oversees the Archives, as well as the Herron Art Library, a full-service branch of University Library located in the Herron School of Art + Design.
The agreement between the Archives and The Chronicle, developed by Rayman and Stacy Palmer, CEO of The Chronicle, establishes a cooperative partnership through which the Archives will provide ongoing digitization services to the magazine and covers future records donations, which may include correspondence and founding documents. The Chronicle, was founded in 1988 and launched its website in 1997. Formerly owned by The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle of Philanthropy became an independent, nonprofit organization in 2023.
The mission of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives is to collect and provide access to unique materials that support faculty, student, and community success. The unit promotes the value of archives through documenting the history of IU Indianapolis, the philanthropic tradition, and unique stories of the Indianapolis community. Philanthropic Studies is one of the Archives’ key areas of focus (also including German-Americana). Established after the founding of the Center on Philanthropy in 1987, the Archives’ philanthropic manuscript repository documents and preserves the history of philanthropy in the United States through records from nonprofit organizations, as well as individual philanthropists, activists, and researchers. Molly LaPorte, a graduate of the Luddy School of Informatics’ Library Science program, serves as Philanthropic Studies Archivist, working closely, in the Archives and in the classroom, with students and faculty in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In addition to primary resources held in the Archives, the Philanthropy Collections at University Library also include the Payton Philanthropic Studies Library. Endowed in 1993 by Robert and Pauline Payton, to honor the memories of their sons Joseph and Matthew Payton, the Payton Library (located on University Library's second floor) supports research and education in philanthropic studies with a circulating collection of books, academic journals, and databases. The National Service Archives, built around volunteerism and the national service movement in the United States, is the latest centerpiece of University Library’s internationally recognized Philanthropy Collections. The collection has grown since it began 2019 to include records about the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, Serve Indiana, and the papers of the late Senator Harris Wofford, Jr., a noted advocate for national service and volunteering. (Image caption: Director of Distinctive Collections Denise Rayman and Philanthropic Studies Archivist Molly LaPorte find a historical ad for the Center for Philanthropy at IUPUI circa 2001.)