DePaul University has partnered with several Lincoln Park community organizations to create the Lincoln Park Community Research Initiative. The initiative will preserve and archive the history of Lincoln Park, sponsor programs and lectures that highlight Lincoln Park or its residents and launch a web site that features digital versions of local historical materials.

     "A Tale of Two Neighborhoods" is the topic of the initiative's fall program which will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the John T. Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Room 314. The slide show and lecture will feature the work of Charles Suchar, a DePaul sociology professor and documentary photographer, who will compare the evolution of the Lincoln Park community with a similar neighborhood in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

     The initiative was created in 1998 during DePaul's centennial celebration. Lincoln Park community organizations joined with DePaul to increase archive holdings on the history of Lincoln Park. The archives are housed at DePaul's Richardson Library and include such treasures as records of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association that date back to the 1950s and documents that define the activities of Lincoln Park Urban Renewal projects. There also are local newspapers, newsletters, minutes, membership lists of neighborhood groups, records of various parks organizations including the Lincoln Park Advisory Council and the histories of the community written by community residents, students and DePaul faculty members.

     DePaul's partners in the venture include the Lincoln Central Association, Sheffield Neighborhood Association, Seminary Townhouse Association, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, Wrightwood Neighbors Conservation Association and Lincoln Park Conservation Association.

     "DePaul and the community organizations discovered a common concern for preserving the history of Lincoln Park," said Tom Fuechtmann, director of DePaul's Community and Government Relations Office. "Our collaboration establishes a valuable archive resource where the community, scholars and the general public can learn more about Lincoln Park."

     Initial funding for the project came from the community partners. A $50,000 grant from the state of Illinois is funding the web site that will provide digital versions of the archived materials. The site will be launched at he Nov. 11th event. The web address is www.lib.depaul.edu/speccoll/lpnc.htm.

     For more information about the Lincoln Park Community Research Initiative, call Fran Casey at 312/362-8101.