College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of English Robyn Warhol recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for her proposal, “The Part Issue Project.” The project will locate, digitize and collect previously undiscoverable 19^th-century serial novels published in pamphlet format and put them in a new collection on Hathi Trust for all to use.

Professor Warhol said this is the fifth proposal she has submitted to the NEH in the last six years. After four rejections, she urges humanities colleagues to take the NEH’s advice to keep trying. “Discouraging as the process can be, I’m thrilled finally to be funded,” she said. 

“The Part Issue Project” is a collaboration with Thompson Librarians Jennifer Schnabel and Leigh Bonds and Ohio State English majors Lillian Felkner and Sofia Racevskis. Warhol also partnered with libraries at Princeton University, the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and The New York Public Library on the project. 

Overall, NEH announced $26.2 million in grants for 238 humanities projects across the country. Warhol’s $316,625 grant is the maximum amount for a Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant.

“From studies of the impact of emerging technologies on humans to new documentaries that lift up under-told stories, these projects show how the humanities help us understand ourselves and our world,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe. “NEH is proud to support 238 exemplary new education, preservation, research, and public programs that will expand our nation’s cultural resources and foster learning in communities across the country.”