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
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
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
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
between 1682 and 1803. To date, over 1,000,000 pages of archival material have been photo-duplicated from French archives; over 1.5 million 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 Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
and the
University of Memphis
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The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...
, the Center is one of only three repositories for the colonial documents of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
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
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
culture,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
, the
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
diaspora,
cemeteries,
Voodoo
Voodoo may refer to:
Religions
* African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups
* African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo
** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
, 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 () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...
and
civil records
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in different ...
.
The Center also comprises The Center for Cultural and Ecotourism, and is partnered with The Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore.
UL Press
The Center for Louisiana Studies also operates the UL Press, a
university press
A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. Most are nonprofit organizations and an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by scholars ...
that is currently an introductory member of the
Association of University Presses
The Association of University Presses (AUP) is a membership organization of university presses, founded in 1937 as the Association of American University Presses. AUP has over 150 members including, Cambridge University Press, Johns Hopkins Unive ...
.
References
External links
UL Press website from CLS
*
{{Authority control
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University presses of the United States
Book publishing companies of the United States
Publishing companies established in 1973
1973 establishments in Louisiana