The Chicago Public Library recently unveiled a new archival collection that chronicles the history of the Chicago Defender. The collection includes early issues of the newspaper which are very difficult to locate and which are not included in the digital edition of the Chicago Defender sold by Proquest and accessible to Loyola student’s, faculty, and staff from the Libraries’ home page.

The Abbott-Sengstacke Family Papers are part of the Chicago Public Library’s Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History, located at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library. A finding aid produced by the University of Chicago’s Mapping the Stacks project is available at:

http://mts.lib.uchicago.edu/collections/findingaids/abbottsengstacke.html

For more information:

American Libraries Direct announcement

University of Chicago announcement

Vivian G. Harsch Research Collection of African American History

Mapping the Stacks: A Guide to Black Chicago’s Hidden Archives

The Chicago Defender (1910-1975)
Digital edition produced by Proquest. Requires Loyola ID and password to access.