Kim Gallon

Kim Gallon didn't always like studying Library and Information Science in school, but she loved being a librarian. Now, as a History professor, Gallon says, "I always have my library hat on. I'm always interested in how people gain and access information, and making information available to people." Consequently, Gallon is passionate about connecting resources and people to the subject of Black newspapers through the Black Press Research Collective.

Traditionally, few resources have been available online about Black newspapers. For Gallon, this was an issue in graduate school. So, she decided to create her own resource about Black papers for researchers, the Black Press Research Collective. 

Founded in 2013, the collective brings together researchers from around the United States, and is working to produce digital books, online archives, and an e-book of old editorial cartoons from the 1920s-30s about the Black press.

Gallon also involves undergraduate students in the project who are interested in digital humanities and digital technologies. Jill Bosserman, a junior in History and English in the Honors College, currently works with Gallon on the collective. Gallon hopes to help students understand that their interests are often shaped as much by the people they connect with as the topics they study.