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Center for Louisiana Studies

The Center for Louisiana Studies (CLS) and the Department of Modern Languages have enjoyed an long-running partnership of collaboration dating back several decades. Faculty members of Modern Languages have served in the CLS Fellows program, published books with UL Press, and participated in countless activities within the Center’s community-facing programming initiatives. In addition, each year one Modern Languages Graduate Research Assistantship is funded through the CLS in order to give graduate students interested in Louisiana Studies the opportunity to gain practical experience assisting in archival research.

The Center for Louisiana Studies is dedicated to researching, publicizing, promoting, and preserving Louisiana’s cultures and history. Since 1973, the Center has worked not only to preserve the state’s rich heritage, but also to make it accessible to scholars, students, and the general public.

The Center is composed of three main divisions:  UL Press, which offers a wide variety of scholarly, creative, and regional publications and is a member of the prestigious Association of University Presses; the CLS Archives and Research division that facilitates access to the wealth of primary source materials available in the archival collections, managing all new acquisitions, supervising the cataloging and digitizing of all materials, and developing fieldwork projects; and its Programming component, which serves as the Center for Louisiana Studies' outreach arm, facilitating research among its Center fellows, hosting community programming, and collaborating on public and research projects.

Location & Directions

The Center is currently housed on the 3rd floor of Edith Garland Dupré Library and is in the process of expanding its operations through the renovation of the J. Arthur Roy House, a historic National Register property and the oldest building on the University's campus. Once renovated, the Roy House will house a bookstore focused on UL Press publications and other Louisiana titles, as well as a reading room and archive space.

The Center for Louisiana Studies is directed by Dr. Josh Caffery: josh.caffery@louisiana.edu

Location: 313 Dupré Library, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Mail: P.O. Box 40831, Lafayette, LA 70504