Mission

Mission
This project aims to develop a comprehensive searchable database of Carlisle Indian School resources. Beginning with the school records housed at the U.S. National Archives as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs papers, materials that tell the story of the school and the many thousands of students who were sent there are being digitized. Desiring to add to the school's history beyond the official documentation, this project seeks partners among those institutions that hold additional records regarding the school, its many students, and its instructors. This site also plans to offer individuals the ability to contribute their own digitized photos, documents, oral histories, and other personal materials to the online collection. In addition, educators will have the opportunity to develop teaching and learning materials utilizing the digitized content and database, and the site ultimately will support the creation of original scholarly and popular works that utilize the content of the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center.

Goals and Objectives

  • Digitize research material from the National Archives and other repositories, including Dickinson College, Cumberland County Historical Society, and any others who wish to collaborate.
  • Make the digitized materials accessible via a dedicated website utilizing appropriate content management tools.
  • Design courses that actively engage students in the digitization and research processes.
  • Develop a comprehensive searchable database using the information contained in the digitized materials (e.g. names, dates, tribal affiliations, enrollments, outings, etc.).
  • Create search and display functions for the database so that users can query the data and generate unique analyses. Also permit sharing of the complete database to allow more thorough and detailed analyses by interested individuals.
  • Develop the capability for user interactivity, so that individuals may contribute photos, documents, oral histories, etc.
  • Develop teaching and learning materials utilizing the digitized content and database (e.g. data visualizations, GIS, etc.).
  • Support the creation of original scholarly and popular works based on content maintained within the resource center.