Beans and Cornbread: The Pragmatic Crusade to Document Women's History Through Cookbooks

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-9-2018

Department

Library and Information Science

Abstract

Before we could forge a partnership with the community, we needed to create partnerships at the university. In 2013, the Curator of Rare Books and Mississippiana and a food historian came together to build the Mississippi Community Cookbook Project (MCCP). Since, the project has developed the library’s cookbook collection into the largest in Mississippi. It succeeded because both project coordinators respected each other’s expertise, and worked within existing institutional frameworks. The library collects, digitizes, and catalogs the cookbooks. The MCCP’s website provides contextual information, additional indices, and an accessible public gateway to the cookbooks (as well as a social media presence). While at times the lack of support for digital humanities at Southern Mississippi has slowed progress, this partnership has led to broad public engagement, and the development of a valuable archival resource.

Publication Title

Digital Humanities, Libraries, and Partnerships: A Critical Examination of Labor, Networks, and Community

First Page

177

Last Page

189

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