Organizers for the Research Route 66 project plan to develop an online research directory and form a retrospective of the group’s accomplishments.
The group also plans to continue to its social-media outreach through its Facebook page and collaborate with Route 66: The Road Ahead Partnership, according to a news release. The group’s annual meeting was held in Albuquerque on March 22-23.
Research Route 66, formerly the Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration, is an initiative of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and nine lead archives, libraries and museums across Route 66 to develop an information gateway for students, researchers, media and others. The group plans to identify archives, libraries, and museums that hold Route 66 materials and to develop an online directory of them.
A retrospective for the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which sunsets in fall 2019 after 20 years, also is planned for the coming year.
Organizers also heard from Joseph Sanchez, Angelica Sanchez-Clark and Steve Mandrgoc about their recently published book “Historic Route 66: A New Mexican Crossroads.”
National Park Service staff presented the Hispanic Legacies of Route 66 Project, which will be released soon as a StoryMap.
The complete news release may be found below.
Research Route 66 held their 12th annual meeting to set priorities for the coming year. The meeting was held March 22-23, 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Research Route 66 (previously known as the Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration) is an initiative of the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and nine lead archives, libraries, and museums across Route 66. Their mission is to develop an information gateway for students, researchers, the media and others looking for information about the road. A major goal is to survey the eight Route 66 states to identify public archives, libraries, and museums that hold Route 66 materials, and to develop an online directory of this information. The nine lead institutions are also each committed to providing a key contact for researchers, collecting Route 66 materials, and coordinating with other institutions and organizations within their states to develop a referral system for Route 66 materials.
Priorities for the upcoming year include continuing surveys and development of the online directory; preparing a retrospective of Research Route 66 accomplishments; continuing Social Media outreach via the Research Route 66 Facebook page; and collaborating with the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership.
Presentations were also made to highlight research on the Hispanic heritage of Route 66. Dr. Joseph Sanchez, Dr. Angelica Sanchez-Clark, and Steve Mandrgoc spoke about their recently published book “Historic Route 66: A New Mexican Crossroads. Essays on the Hispanic Heritage of Old Highway 66.” National Park Service staff also made a presentation on the Hispanic Legacies of Route 66 Project, which was made possible through the NPS Latino Heritage Internship Program and will be released soon as a StoryMap.
Those in attendance at the meeting were the lead organizers of Research Route 66, representing the Autry Museum of the American West, Northern Arizona University – Cline Library, University of New Mexico – Center for Southwest Research, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa, Baxter Springs Heritage Center, Missouri State University – Special Collections, and the State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center – Springfield.
For more information on Research Route 66 and to visit the Route 66 Directory of Archives, visit www.nps.gov/rt66archive.
(Image of Route 66 in California by Meins Photography via Flickr)