A postcard featuring an illustration of Old Main.
When we talk about what users have placed on ISU ReD we often discuss journal articles; however, many other items of interest to the ISU community are also located in our institutional repository. For example, ISU ReD hosts the full text of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History John B. Freed’s monograph Educating Illinois: Illinois State University, 1857-2007. Anyone can access an electronic copy of this work without charge here, and it remains a popular item for download since it was added to the repository in 2013.
Educating Illinois traces the history of Illinois State University from its founding to the year 2007. As former ISU President Al Bowman notes in his introduction, Freed’s work caused a stir when published by showing (contrary to popular belief) that the university’s founders did not found it exclusively as a teacher’s preparation college. Instead they wished to create a “comprehensive university designed to meet the full spectrum of Illinois’ growing educational needs.”
With a title drawing from the name of the university’s strategic plan at the time (Educating Illinois, 2000-2007, also available in ISU ReD), Professor Freed’s work draws a continuous line from the goals and achievements of the founders of Illinois State University to the work of current faculty, staff, administrators, and students. And although Professor Freed’s work was the first to be uploaded to the institutional repository, the body of work in ISU ReD is being added to every day.
Authors show how they are contributing to the university’s 162-year-old mission by placing their own materials on ISU ReD. If you would like to discuss adding your own work to the repository, for current or already published materials, please contact isured@ilstu.edu.
