Vision Statement

The vision of LSUS Northwest Louisiana Archives is to be the instrument of regional historical and institutional memory, to be an active participant in furthering the institutional mission and knowledge of the history of northwest Louisiana and the Red River region, and to continuously provide unexpected learning opportunities for all constituencies of LSUS.

 

Mission Statement

The mission of LSUS Northwest Louisiana Archives is to collect, preserve, and make accessible to interested users and researchers the papers, records and other materials of persons, groups and organizations significant to the history of Northwest Louisiana and the Red River region, and to provide for the orderly retention and disposition of all University records.

 

History of the Archives

The LSUS Northwest Louisiana Archives program at LSUS was created in 1974 through the efforts of Dr, John Hall, Chairman of the Social Studies Department, Malcolm Parker, Library Director, and Hubert Humphreys, Assistant Professor of History. Their aim was to document and preserve area history, particularly the history of northwest Louisiana. In 1975, LSUS hired Patricia Meador as the first archivist.

Starting with just two collections and relying on community support, Ms. Meador built a program that today features over 800 archival collections, 300 manuscript collections, and 150 oral histories and continues to grow.

In 1994 the LSUS Northwest Louisiana Archives moved from its location on the second floor of the original library building to the attractive and spacious quarters it now occupies on the third floor of the Noel Memorial Library. Staffed by four full-time employees and a part-time volunteer, LSUS Northwest Louisiana Archives acts as the instrument of the university's institutional memory and assists visitors from all over the United States and abroad with research about the Red River, steam boating, plantation life, business and industry, society and culture, education, politics, architecture, and the natural environment of the Ark-La-Tex area from 1830 to the present day.

 

Staff

Laura L. McLemore
Curator of the NWLA Archives and Special Collections
Laura.McLemore@lsus.edu
(318) 797-5378