The Catawba County Library has been awarded a Common Heritage grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The library will collaborate with the Historical Association of Catawba County and the Digital Heritage Center of NC to collect and curate a digital collection of the Hmong community’s cultural heritage, making it accessible to the public by publishing the collection on the NC Digital Heritage website.
The library will host five collection days, inviting our Hmong community members to bring cultural artifacts including photos, documents, letters and physical items to the library to be cataloged and digitally preserved. Items will be scanned or photographed and originals will be returned with a digital copy for safekeeping. The Library will also record oral histories from individuals interested in sharing their experiences. To further inform our larger community about Hmong traditions and history, the library will host a series of cultural programs and book discussions. This project recognizes the value of the Hmong culture and the importance of their history of migration and community building. The library is excited to be a part of recording and preserving Hmong cultural heritage and making it accessible to our community for generations to come.