Donna D. Anderson, research assistant professor of history at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Japanese Hall and History Project Advisory Council member, will be at the Japanese Hall at the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering June 3-6 to scan photographs, documents and books related to the tri-state Japanese American community for an open-access digital archive.
Hosted and supported by the university's Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, the digital archive will enable community members and the broader public to explore Asian American histories of the Midwest and Great Plains.
Digitization opens opportunities to extend engagement with the hall’s materials and relieves the demand on docents and volunteers for additional context. It also adds a safeguard to the hall’s materials by ensuring digital copies are kept safe in case of item deterioration, natural disaster or theft.
In addition to digitizing materials, Anderson plans to conduct oral history interviews of the sansei (third generation) or any other Japanese American community members to be added to the digital archive. The archive will launch to the public in June 2028 at the Japanese Hall’s 100th-anniversary celebration.
The digitization project builds on Anderson’s existing research documenting, archiving and analyzing histories of Asian American communities in the region. Last fall, Anderson organized and hosted an event with the Center for Great Plains Studies and Nebraska Public Media titled “Rescuing Japanese American Histories of Nebraska.” The event drew 100-plus people, further highlighting the demand and desire to chronicle Asian American histories of the heartland.
Those interested in contributing materials to scan, recording an oral history interview or volunteering with the digitization efforts should reach out to Anderson at danderson79@nebraska.edu by May 15.
