Welcoming Foley's Inaugural Summer Fellow

We're excited to announce that Alexis Bohlander joined Foley Library staff, June 2, as our inaugural Summer Fellow in University Archives and Special Collections (UASC)!

For eight weeks, Alexis will be focusing on the extensive Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (KCTFHR) collection, applying standard archival practices to initial intake and accessioning of the collection. Processing of the collection will include collaboration with the Special Collections Librarian, Digital Collections Librarian, and Metadata Librarian as well, but the Fellow is expected to take initiative and provide their own input based on knowledge and experience. This position is funded by a gift from the KCTFHR and focuses solely on the processing, description, and access of the collection.

The KCTFHR Collection was donated in Summer 2024, facilitated by Dr. Tony Stewart, as a means to long-term preservation and increased access of the materials, formerly housed at North Idaho College. This collection documents decades of community action for social justice and human rights in Kootenai Country, particularly Coeur d’Alene, ID. Materials in this collection cover the period during which the Aryan Nations compound in Hayden, ID was impacting the community and the progressive response from the community to shut down those actions. Materials in this collection may depict or discuss events and actions that are challenging and upsetting to most people.

The collection includes 24 boxes of text documents along with 3D objects and digital files of both text and A/V content. The collection will need inventory, assessment, organizing, processing, and describing across both physical and digital formats.