Center for Louisiana Studies
Encyclopedia
The Center for Louisiana Studies is the press of the University of Louisiana
, with the mission to promote and facilitate scholarly research on any and all aspects of Louisiana
studies. With over 100 titles currently in print, the Center is the largest publisher of exclusively Louisiana-related books in the world. It also serves as a research facility and archival repository.
and the University of Memphis
, the Center is one of only three repositories for the colonial documents of France
in the United States
.
Another important impetus for the founding of the Center was the creation of The University of Southwestern Louisiana History Series (U.S.L. being the former name of The University of Louisiana). Glenn Conrad, the director of the Center from 1973 to 2003, edited the U.S.L. History Series from its establishment in 1970 until the fifteenth and final title in 1985. This Series established the Center for Louisiana Studies as a significant regional publishing center.
The Center received a significant boost with the publication of The Courthouses of Louisiana and The Cajuns: Essays on their History and Culture. Although sales of these titles were modest by publishing standards, that small amount nevertheless allowed the Center to continuously expand the quality of its product
Other important series from the Center were the U.S.L. Architecture Series, which followed from the Courthouses of Louisiana (1978); the Louisiana Life Series, covering the rich cultures of South Louisiana, including such diverse topics as Cajun
culture, Jazz
, the Acadian
diaspora, New Orleans cemeteries, Voodoo
, and others; and the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Series in Louisiana History, the most ambitious Louisiana-related publication project ever undertaken by any publisher. The Center has also published many titles on Louisiana genealogy
and civil records.
The Center also comprises The Center for Cultural and Ecotourism, and is partnered with The Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
, with the mission to promote and facilitate scholarly research on any and all aspects of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
studies. With over 100 titles currently in print, the Center is the largest publisher of exclusively Louisiana-related books in the world. It also serves as a research facility and archival repository.
History
Founded in 1973, the Center for Louisiana Studies grew around the University's copies of the Louisiana Colonial Records Collection. Begun in 1967, the Collection attempts to draw together available microfilmed copies of any and all primary source records focused on the discovery, exploration, settlement, and development of the Mississippi Valley between 1682 and 1803. To date, over 1,000,000 pages of archival material have been photoduplicated from French archives; over 1,500,000 pages copied from Spanish archives; over 20,000 pages of documentary evidence from British depositories; and over 165,000 pages of material have been collected from various Louisiana sources. Together with the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, the Center is one of only three repositories for the colonial documents of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Another important impetus for the founding of the Center was the creation of The University of Southwestern Louisiana History Series (U.S.L. being the former name of The University of Louisiana). Glenn Conrad, the director of the Center from 1973 to 2003, edited the U.S.L. History Series from its establishment in 1970 until the fifteenth and final title in 1985. This Series established the Center for Louisiana Studies as a significant regional publishing center.
The Center received a significant boost with the publication of The Courthouses of Louisiana and The Cajuns: Essays on their History and Culture. Although sales of these titles were modest by publishing standards, that small amount nevertheless allowed the Center to continuously expand the quality of its product
Other important series from the Center were the U.S.L. Architecture Series, which followed from the Courthouses of Louisiana (1978); the Louisiana Life Series, covering the rich cultures of South Louisiana, including such diverse topics as Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
culture, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, the Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
diaspora, New Orleans cemeteries, Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
, and others; and the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Series in Louisiana History, the most ambitious Louisiana-related publication project ever undertaken by any publisher. The Center has also published many titles on Louisiana genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
and civil records.
The Center also comprises The Center for Cultural and Ecotourism, and is partnered with The Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore.