UMass to publish Du Bois collection

Amherst, Mass. (WWLP) - The W.E.B. Du Bois Library at UMASS Amherst has received a grant for $200,000 from Verizon to publish the University's Du Bois collection on-line.

An estimated 100,000 items have been stored on the library's 25th floor for  thirty years and were available only to those who traveled to Amherst to view them.  Now, anyone with internet access across the globe will be able to view the original diaries, letters, photographs and other materials associated with one of the most influential African Americans in U.S. history.

Once the materials are scanned and catalogued, UMASS Amherst will work with Verizon to identify the documents to include in Thinkfinity.org, Verizon Foundation's free educational website.

W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, MA in 1868 and died in Ghana in 1963.  He was a participant in a wide range of historical and social movements, including the creation of the Niagra Movement, a precursor organization to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The project will begin in July and is expected to be completed in two years.