The Honorable Louise M. Slaughter’s Congressional Papers

Louise M. Slaughter’s lifetime of extraordinary service, achievements, and leadership still resonate throughout our communities today. Last year, the family of Louise and Bob Slaughter donated the U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter’s official Congressional papers to the University of Rochester. The University is deeply honored to curate and steward her collection, which is being led by the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Rochester Libraries.

Louise was at heart a community leader, and our commitment and goal is to make the Slaughter Congressional Archive a community resource. Over the next few years, the Slaughter archivist and staff in Rare Books and Special Collections will make this extensive collection accessible for students, researchers and the public.

Our plans are many: from developing a web portal and physical and digital storage to provide ongoing access to the collection, to supporting educational programs, creating online and physical exhibits, providing research opportunities for student interns and researchers, and updating and adding to our physical and digital spaces to provide optimum conditions for storage and exhibitions for this important collection. These efforts will make the Louise M. Slaughter Congressional Archive come alive for anyone interested in delving into the rich legacy that Congresswoman Slaughter left us and that remain so relevant today.

To accomplish this, we need your help. Louise Slaughter was a tireless fighter, a trailblazer, and a visionary leader that left an indelible impact on our community and our country. Your assistance will help us ensure her legacy remains vibrant and an inspiration to current and future generations. It will ensure that we continue to learn from her and apply what we have learned to make positive change.

By giving to the Louise M. Slaughter Congressional Archive, you are supporting the extensive work needed to process and prepare this important Congressional collection. Together—with your help—the University can extend Ms. Slaughter’s legacy, honor her decades of civic duty, preserve her contributions to history, and create important pathways for learning, scholarship, and community engagement.

“Ms. Slaughter made an indelible impact on our University, our community, and our country. She was a trailblazer and a champion for many. She spoke for science, public health, the environment, the arts, and much more. She advocated for justice and fairness and she did so in a way that was respected by all. It’s such an honor to host her congressional papers here. They will bring her vast contributions to light—for scholars, for students, and for the general public to access, enjoy, and learn from. We will forever be grateful stewards of Ms. Slaughter’s legacy.”

–Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

Opportunities

The following are some ideas to support the collection and the work that is being done to preserve it and make it accessible to the public. To learn about additional opportunities, please contact Pamela Jackson , Senior Director of Advancement, River Campus Libraries at pamela.jackson@rochester.edu (585) 276-5731.

$5,000: External Exhibits

As part of our efforts to enable community access to the collection and celebrate Louise Slaughter’s extraordinary influence on Rochester and the surrounding areas, we are planning small external exhibits in places such as the Amtrak station, the post office, and elsewhere. This gift could support the development of these exhibits and cover transportation, preservation, and curation.

$5,000: Digital Exhibit

This gift could enable us to build and host a digital exhibit showcasing key items from the Louise Slaughter collection, providing users with an overview of her local and national influence. This digital exhibit will be a counterpart to our planned major exhibit in 2022.

$1,000: Small Exhibit Case

This gift could support the curation of one small exhibit case in the Louise Slaughter Collection exhibit and the time needed to research and write exhibit materials, image materials as necessary, and appropriately display materials.

$1000: Film Digitization

Film is particularly susceptible to deterioration, whether for still photographs or movies, and this gift could enable us to digitize the film in the collection as well as properly store the physical film and the digital version for years to come.

$500: Processing Support

This amount could support the processing of 3-7 boxes of physical material. Each box requires both physical and intellectual processing, which means we transfer the items to appropriate archival materials and describe them in a way that enables users to connect the items in this collection and across other collections in our holdings. Each box costs between $76 and $178 to process, depending upon the complexity of the material and on whether the work is done by a student or by a full-time staff member.

“Louise worked tirelessly for the Rochester region as well as for our nation. She was a mentor, a trailblazer, and an exemplary leader who was deeply committed to the mission of the University, which underscores the continual striving to make the world ever better. The University is deeply grateful to the Slaughter family—as am I—for entrusting us with this opportunity to honor her for her many contributions and sustain her legacy through the preservation of this collection.”

–Josh Farrelman, former staff to U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter and current associate vice president for the University of Rochester’s Office of Government and Community Relations

Will you join us now?

By giving to the Louise Slaughter Papers project, you are supporting the extensive work needed to process and prepare Ms. Slaughter’s Congressional Collection. Together—with your help—the University can extend Ms. Slaughter’s legacy, honor her decades of civic duty, preserve her contributions to history, and create important pathways for scholarship and community engagement.

For more information

Pamela Jackson
Senior Director of Advancement, River Campus Libraries
(585) 276-5731
pamela.jackson@rochester.edu