On October 15 to 16, 2012, DePaul University hosted the annual Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA) Symposium at Cortelyou Commons. Founded in 2008, the CRRA is a consortium of 35 institutions holding significant library and/or archival collections relevant to Catholic Studies, including colleges, universities, seminaries, religious orders, and other church offices. In addition to providing digital access to an increasingly robust collection of rare, unique and/or uncommon materials in libraries, seminaries, Special Collections and Archives through its Catholic Portal project, the CRRA supports collaboration among member institutions through joint programs and projects, including the annual Symposium.
DePaul University President Dennis H. Holtschneider, C. M., welcomed almost 100 Symposium attendees from institutions across the United States and abroad with his thoughts on the unique character of the Catholic commitment to social justice and the role of libraries and archives in promoting the work of those who study it. Libraries and archives, Fr. Holtschneider concluded, enable scholars, enable voices to be heard, enable people to be moved
The 2012 CRRA Symposium focused on the study of Catholic Social Justice, and highlighted the DePaul University Library’s Social Justice Collections, which include the papers of activists such as Daniel Berrigan, Philip Berrigan and Sr. Helen Prejean. Other DePaul programs highlighted at the Symposium included Susan Dumbletons use of the Prejean papers in the development of the course, Dead Man Walking: An American Story, A. Alexander Stummvoll’s research into Vatican diplomacy, and M Ryan Hess and Rebecca Cooling-Mallard’s collaboration with the University of Ireland, Galway, to develop a digital collection of Vincentian documents. The Symposium also included a keynote address by DePaul’s Michael Baxter, Visiting Associate Professor of Catholic Studies, and a film viewing and discussion with film-maker and Loyola University of Chicago Professor of Communication Bren Ortega Murphy.
The 2012 Catholic Research Resources Alliance Symposium was co-sponsored by the DePaul University Library and by the Office of Mission and Values. More information is available on the CRRA website.