Libraries receive $50,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation

The Washington University Libraries have been awarded a $50,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. The award to the Libraries was made by Newman’s Own Foundation as part of its commitment to helping nonprofit groups.

The grant to the Libraries will be used to support teaching and learning at Washington University in St. Louis and beyond by enabling the further development and accessibility of collections related to literature, the performing arts and university history. Funds from the grant will be used to process the papers of memoirist, novelist, playwright, and biographer A.E. Hotchner, a Washington University alumnus and co-founder of Newman’s Own Inc., and the papers of poet, novelist, and playwright David Wagoner.

The grant also will be used to support recent and upcoming acquisitions for the Modern Literature Collection and to digitize student publications in the University Archives, including the student yearbook, The Hatchet (1903-2011); the student newspaper, Student Life (1878-present); The Eliot Literary Magazine (1915-1947), and the Dirge magazine (1919-1934), which focused on humor, satire, and cartoons.

“This generous grant will allow us to make numerous collections more accessible to more researchers more quickly, whether it’s history students and alumni getting digital access to Washington University student publications or literary scholars and writing students exploring the papers of important American writers,” said Joel Minor, University Libraries’ curator of the Modern Literature Collection/Manuscripts.

The grant-related work will take place in 2018. Special Collections is open to the public 9-5 on weekdays or visit Special Collections online.