Hmong Cultural Center Grant to Support Hmong Resource Center Library

Hmong Cultural Center Receives Multi-Year Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to Support the Hmong Resource Center Library

hmongstudies.org

In November 2013, Hmong Cultural Center was awarded a 3-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation of New York to support activities of the Hmong Resource Center Library, including expansion and maintenance of the physical research collection, for cataloguing, and for enhancement of various online initiatives. The Library is a unique and established institution with a strong track record of promoting knowledge and accessibility to Hmong-related research and resources both at the Hmong Cultural Center’s offices in the Little Mekong neighborhood in Saint Paul and through a virtual collection accessible at www.hmonglibrary.org. Founded in 1999, Hmong Cultural Center’s Hmong Resource Center Library is the largest centralized collection of Hmong-related books, dissertations, theses and journal articles in the United States.

The collections include the following holdings: 570 Hmong related books, 275 Hmong-related theses and dissertations, 800 Hmong-related academic journal articles, over 3,800 Hmong-related newspaper articles and 311 videos as well as 52 CDs and 32 DVDs. The Resource Center Library is open to the public Monday through Friday and by appointment on weekends. The Library’s website at www.hmonglibrary.org includes full catalog listings of all of the institution’s holdings. The website also includes the unique Hmong Studies Virtual Library, a comprehensive and quickly growing centralized webpage initiated in 2012 currently providing links to 42 full-text books, 71 dissertations and theses, 120 journal articles and 18 reports available on the internet related to the Hmong. Txongpao Lee, Executive Director of Hmong Cultural Center said: “We are very grateful for this important new multi-year support from the Henry Luce Foundation to support our unique library.

This grant will allow us to continue to build our collections and website to help provide Hmong-related research and resources to both Hmong and non-Hmong in Minnesota and around the United States. It will also assist us as we continue to plan the future Hmong American History Center and Library at our offices in Saint Paul.” Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD, Librarian Emeritus, stated: “Over the past several years, the Hmong Resource Center Library has grown into a very significant collection for students and scholars doing research related to the Hmong. Hmong Cultural Center was very grateful to receive the important support of the broader scholarly community working in Hmong Studies as we submitted our request for multi-year funding to the Henry Luce Foundation.”

About Hmong Cultural Center

About Hmong Cultural Center: Founded in 1992, Hmong Cultural Center’s mission is to promote the personal development of children, youth, and adults through Hmong cultural education while providing resources that enhance cross-cultural awareness and understanding between Hmong and non-Hmong persons. In early 2012, HCC earned “Meets Standards” Status from the Charities Review Council, the only Hmong organization in Minnesota to currently hold this status. The center’s website is at www.hmongcc.org. The community is very welcome to visit HCC and enroll in our programs. To learn more about programs at Hmong Cultural Center call 651-917-9937 or stop by the center at 995 University Avenue, Suite 214 in Saint Paul.

About the Henry Luce Foundation

The Henry Luce Foundation (www.hluce.org) was established in 1936 by the late Henry R. Luce, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., to honor his parents who were missionary educators in China. The Foundation seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding, and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities. The Luce Foundation pursues its mission today through the following grant-making programs: American Art; East Asia; Luce Scholars; Theology; Higher Education and the Henry R. Luce Professorships; the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs; Public Policy and the Environment; and the Clare Boothe Luce Program for women in science, mathematics and engineering.