My story on the Lampkins Collection at SUSLA ran today.

This was an amazing story to tell. SUSLA has a small archive compared to LSUS who has an entire floor dedicated to it.

Archives, especially in a city the size of Shreveport, are important because they provide a safe haven for the area's history. They also provide insight to times gone-by. Lampkins' collection is like that. He attended Shreveport's high school for black students during segregation. He opened his own school in the 1950s and even though in Caddo Parish Schools.

For musicians, this collection is also a gold mine. Among the items are recordings of jazz musicians that available anywhere, even iTunes.

The collection will be open to the public fall 2010.

The archive is also a story of growth for SUSLA, whose enrollment has soar during the past two semesters. The strength and prominence of a school is determined by several factors: winning sports teams, research dollars, faculty research, library, and archives. For a school SUSLA's size, this was a substantial get.

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