A $39,500 grant from LYRASIS will advance an interdisciplinary project based in the George Mason University Libraries and College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The winning proposal, 鈥淕eographies of Inequity: Exploring the Hidden Lives Next Door,鈥 draws on the Center for Mason Legacies鈥檚 project, which was launched in 2021 with support fro the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR), and Mason researchers , , , and .
Two other center projects鈥攖he Enslaved Children of George Mason, an undergraduate research initiative which started in 2016, and Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, a work of public history recently unveiled on the Fairfax Campus鈥攈ave been instrumental in shaping 鈥淕eographies of Inequity.鈥
鈥淭he Center for Mason Legacies will use the LYRASIS grant to create an interdisciplinary social justice methodology that incorporates digital humanities and historical research in local communities and fully engages our students in valuable transformative work,鈥 said Manuel-Scott, associate director of the center and professor of integrative studies and history.
LYRASIS is a nonprofit member organization serving and supporting libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations around the world.
The 鈥淕eographies of Inequity鈥 project has also received the LYRASIS , which recognizes 鈥渢he highest levels of innovation鈥 in publishing, writing, preservation, and other categories. The fund provides support for new ideas and innovative projects from the LYRASIS membership, with a goal to 鈥expand opportunities to explore, test, refine, and collaborate on innovations with potential for community-wide impact.鈥
鈥淭he collaborative and creative energy that materializes when faculty and librarians work together results in substantative educational experiences for students,鈥 said John Zenelis, dean of the University Libraries.
The 2021-22 Catalyst Fund grant competition was international in scope, with finalists including Cambridge University, University of Virginia,听Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al, and University of North Carolina System.