Triumphs and Travails: The Challenges of Institutional Collaborations

Abstract

This article describes a collaboration funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant, awarded to a Lawrence, Kansas Jr. High School, partnered a university research library, a group of Jr. High School teachers, a local community museum and a city newspaper. The object of the grant was to produce a local-history web site, developed by teachers, and used as an educational tool by secondary school students. The author details the history of the partnership and explains how an understanding of institutional cultures and a clarification of roles brought the project to fruition.