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New home for King papers

ATLANTA The Woodruff Library are abuzz with activity.

In just a few weeks, the library at the Atlanta University Center will become the temporary home to Atlanta's newly acquired writings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and archivists and administrators are busy readying for the big event.

Woodruff —which serves as the official library of Morehouse and Spelman colleges, Clark Atlanta University and the Interdenominational Theological Center — will become custodian of the $32 million collection, slated to arrive in Atlanta from Sotheby's auction house in New York later this summer.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and other civic, education and business leaders struck a deal with King's family in June to buy the collection of the civil rights leader's writings and keep it in Atlanta just before it was to be auctioned off.

Morehouse, King's alma mater, will eventually own the papers and will control access to them even while they are housed at the Woodruff Library.

[Comment from Ralph Luker at HNN Blog, Cliopatria:"If scholars are guaranteed access to them, as we've been assured, why is a committee of academic biggies being appointed to" control access" to them. Don't force me to go through some permissions process merely to see the documents. Just bring me Box 35, please."

Read entire article at Atlanta Journal-Constitution