Eudora Welty Collection, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

The materials transferred to the Archives and Records Services Division (A&RS) from the Museum Division since March 2011, along with those transferred to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) upon the settlement of Eudora Welty’s estate, continue to be incorporated into the Eudora Welty Collection.

Currently, no series are closed for reprocessing but some series are undergoing substantial revisions. We suggest researchers contact MDAH, refdesk@mdah.state.ms.us, to verify the availability of series that are of particular interest to them prior to visiting the archives.

The A&RS division continues to use Koha, an open source system, for its online catalog. The related instruction sheet, The Eudora Welty Collection: Collection Research and Access via the Online Catalog, has been prepared to aid researchers in readily locating catalog records for the Eudora Welty Collection and other Welty-related materials in the division’s holdings. The instruction sheet concludes with a current series list.

The 2013 Eudora Welty Research Fellowship, co-sponsored by the Eudora Welty Foundation and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, was awarded to Ebony O. Lumumba, a doctoral student and graduate instructor in the Department of English at the University of Mississippi. Lumumba’s on-site research at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, supported by the $2,000 stipend, was conducted during May and June.

The MDAH website (mdah.state.ms.us) also features Welty information with some regularity.

The Eudora Welty Collection Collection Research and Access via the Online Catalog

Mississippi Department of Archives and History Archives and Records Services Division

Reviewing the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Website, www.mdah.state.ms.us, and the Archives and Records Services Division (A&RS) home page, mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/index.php, may help you learn about our operations and become accustomed to the online catalog before you visit the William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson, Mississippi.

When you are visiting the archives or using our online catalog, you may go directly to the Eudora Welty Collection, Manuscript Number Z/0301.000/S. This is our principal collection of Welty papers, photographs, manuscripts, etc., donated or bequeathed to MDAH by Eudora Welty.

Off-site review of the Eudora Welty Collection catalog record and finding aid

• • From the www.mdah.state.ms.us webpage: select “Search the Catalog”

  OR

• • From the mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/index.php webpage: select “Online Catalog”

• • At the top of the “Online Catalog” screen: select the tab marked “Advanced Search”

• • On the “Advanced Search” screen, under “Search for”: select “Keyword(s)” and select “Title” in the drop down menu; type “Eudora Welty” in the blank box; scroll down the screen to “Limit to any of the following:” and check the box for “Manuscript Collection”; and click the “Search” button

• • On the “Catalog Record” screen for the Eudora Welty Collection there is a link to “Online Resources: Collection description”: click this link to see the Series list

  (If clicking the “Search” button in the previous step yielded a list of multiple titles instead of going directly to the Eudora Welty Collection catalog record, then look for “Welty (Eudora) Collection” on the results page and click the title to open the “Catalog Record.”)

• • On the Series list: click any of the Series’ titles to see the respective Series descriptions

  (Box and folder numbers appear in Series descriptions. Make a note of the box and folder number(s) for reference when you are ready to visit the archives and request the boxes.)

A&RS has many Welty-related resources beyond the Eudora Welty Collection. You may locate, review, and access these resources by choosing different keywords from the drop down menus and different options under “Limit Search by Collection.”

On-site review of the Eudora Welty Collection catalog record and finding aid and access to material in the collections

A photo-identification card, such as a driver’s license, student ID, or passport, is required for Reading Room access at the archives building. The Reading Rooms are closed on some...