About the Larger Project
Beyond Books and Buildings:
North Carolina's History of Higher Education Digital Project

This project seeks to bring together digitized collections documenting the history of higher education in North Carolina. Beginning with the early seminaries, academies, and the founding of the University of North Carolina in 1791 as the first public college in the United States, higher education has played an important role in the social and cultural development of North Carolina.

This project is designed to work in conjunction with NC ECHO and to enhance access to historical documents relating to the history of higher education in North Carolina.

The original participants of the project were Brevard College, Davidson College, Fayetteville State University, Greensboro College, Johnson C. Smith University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Over time, additional institutions across the state will contribute digitized collections of their own, thereby continually enhancing the project's value.

Each participating institution selects and digitzes documents relating to the founding of their institution, its early years, and significant events or periods in its history. Digitized collections include a variety of materials: college catalogs, minutes, reports, student letters, student publications, photographs, etc. - the list goes on. By bringing these digitized collections together, this project puts each school's records in a broader perspective and allows researchers to compare institutions and experiences.

The original portion of this project was 100% supported with LSTA funds made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Click here to go the home page of the larger project.