Midge Costanza Institute - The study of politics and public policy

Programs / The Archives Project...

Midge collected a significant quantity of exciting historical documents covering the years from the 1960s through the present. They include original written documents, photos, taped oral interviews and memorabilia. In addition to materials from her time as Jimmy Carter’s Assistant for Public Liaison, she also saved materials from the campaigns of Bobby Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Teddy Kennedy, as well as the civil rights and women’s rights movements more generally. The majority of these items are original and do not exist in any other archive. This wonderful collection is beginning to deteriorate and weather.

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For years, Midge planned to digitize the entire collection and post it to a website to be made available for use by universities, primary and secondary schools, independent scholars, and the general public. Over the last year, Dr. Doreen Mattingly from the Women’s Studies Department at San Diego State University, and several of her students, volunteered their time to sort and index the majority of Midge’s papers from the White House. In organizing the records for their own scholarly research, they have made enormous strides toward the Institute’s goal of digitizing the archives. It is imperative that the Midge Costanza Institute build on their momentum. Now is the time to sort the remaining records, digitize the collection, and create the educational website that Midge envisioned.

We need donations to finance this project for the next two years. This includes the costs of organizing the remaining materials, scanning the documents, and building the searchable archives. Specifically, these funds will pay for office space, labor, website construction and maintenance, and equipment.

In addition to supporting the creation of a digitized archive, your donation will lay the groundwork for future Institute activities. Thank you for your participation and support!