Established in 2019, the National Service Archive at the University Library hopes to hold the stories, organizational histories, and founding documents of organizations and individuals who were impacted or had an impact on the national service movement in the United States. Through the lens of volunteerism, the profound shift in the way young people can serve their communities deserves its place in history. The Library hopes to collect and share these stories. Including the Corporation for National and Community Service, other government service programs, nonprofit organizations coordinating with or receiving funding from government entities, and individuals participating in service have important touchpoints in the history of this work for researchers and individuals interesting in public service to learn from.
The Archive will support researchers wanting to know more about nationally organized civic service and volunteerism in America through collection, organization, and preservation of content reflective of the leaders and participants in national service programs such as AmeriCorps, Teach for America, and more locally Serve Indiana, Public Allies, just to name a few.
To grow this collection, philanthropy will be key. If you would like to make a gift, please visit My IU and search for National Service Archives or reach out to the Library at ulibert@iu.edu.