HUNTINGDON COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Juniata College has received $498k in grant funding to sustain its archives and special collections.

The Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and is $498,577 in total. This funding will support the creation of a suite that will preserve and invite engagement with rare humanities library collections, according to Juniata College.

Juniata College said this effort is part of a comprehensive renovation of the existing library to create the “Statton Learning Commons.”

“A dynamic and inviting library allows faculty and students to model how knowledge is created; having a contemporary space with accessible resources is essential for student success,” said Lauren Bowen, Provost and project director for the grant. “We are grateful to the National Endowment of the Humanities for recognizing the promise and potential of allowing our community to engage directly with our special collections and archival materials whether it’s in first-year classes, for senior capstones, or for research interests of community members.”