Derr Collection
The Verrona Williams Derr Collection was established in September 1969 by Dr. Gilbert Sims Derr, faculty in DePaul’s School of Education, as the initial step in the development of a research facility in the area of African-American Studies. Named in honor of his wife, the collection was originally envisioned as a means to promote better racial understanding through the availability of resources that specifically relate to African-American culture, life, history and racial experience. In 1969 there were 800 titles in the, then circulating, collection. In 1973, Gilbert Sims Derr established a fund to help perpetuate the collection. Selective titles have been moved to Special Collections.