Since 2013, Michigan State University Libraries has been a remarkable partner for Reveal Digital, one of the first libraries to provide seed money for what was then a new, experimental publishing model for Open Access primary source collections. The Murray & Hong Special Collections Library provided thousands of pages of content from their renowned American Radicalism Collection for Reveal Digital’s Independent Voices collection, contributing source material for some of its most important magazines and newspapers, including Freedomways, Fifth Estate, and The Paper.

This month, under the direction of Dean of Libraries Joe Salem and Associate Dean for Collections Strategies & Preservation Steve Sowards, the MSU Libraries has made an extraordinary funding contribution to Reveal Digital’s Diversity & Dissent fund. This donation will help cover the cost for developing our upcoming project HIV, AIDS & the Arts and our future fourth project (to be announced soon). As a result of MSU’s contribution, HIV, AIDS & the Arts will be Open Access immediately upon launch on JSTOR in 2022.

Steve Sowards says, “The MSU Libraries appreciates and supports the work of Reveal Digital, because that work expresses key elements in our Strategic Plan and key values driving our library mission. Reveal Digital projects bring underrepresented voices into the conversation. The fundamental commitment to Open Access makes this content accessible to everyone, without the barriers of paywalls, authentication, or affiliation with major institutions. Access to unique primary sources can help a student understand the basis of original research, enrich the work of an established scholar, and increase the understanding of any citizen. The next project in Reveal Digital’s plans – ‘HIV, AIDS & the Arts’ – opens the door to cross-disciplinary study, with perspectives ranging from the health sciences to the humanities, and adopts a global view. We are pleased to help open up this collection to the largest possible number of users, as soon as possible.”

MSU’s contribution reflects their exceptional commitment to Open Access and to building new collections centered on underrepresented communities and individuals in scholarly resources. We are grateful to the Michigan State University Libraries for this partnership that will benefit scholars around the world for generations to come.