A delegation from the University of Michigan (UMich) visited Davao City to introduce their project “ReConnect/ReCollect: Reparative Connections to Philippine Collections at the University of Michigan.”
ReConnect/ReCollect is a diverse group of faculty, librarians, archivists, curators, collections managers, students, and members of the Filipino and Filipino American communities committed to developing models for culturally responsive and historically minded stewardship of the Philippine collections at the University of Michigan.
The visiting team was headed by Dr. Ricardo L. Punzalan, Director of the Museum Studies Program, and co-director, Dr. Deirdre De La Cruz, with Alyssa Paredes serving as their Mindanao research collaborator. Other collaborators accompanying the team are Dr. Alexis Antracoli, Director of the UM Bentley Historical Library, and Jim Moss, Collections Manager of UM Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA).
The team provided a more comprehensive orientation about the ReConnect/ReCollect project with the end of further exploring ways for collaborating in making the collections at the various archives and museums at the UMich more accessible to public and academic communities of Davao and the Mindanao region.
Dr. Deirdre dela Cruz gave an overview of the whole day workshop. Jim Moss, discussed the diversity of their collections from the Philippines. While Dr. Alexis Antracoli, along with her colleague, Gideon Goodrich, presented an introduction to the Library and its collections. Many historical photos have been digitized and are stored in the Library, including those from the famous Worcester, and Carl Eugene Guthe papers.
This one-day orientation activity was scheduled on July 30, 2025 at the Media Room (8th floor, Community Center of the First Companions), Ateneo de Davao University, Roxas Avenue, Davao City.
The activity started at 8 AM with a tour of the 9/F Guest Track, the Ricci Hall, and the Chapel only for the UMich team. The program for the 40 University stakeholders and partners in the work of culture and arts begins at 8:30 a.m. for registration and 9:00 a.m. for the official opening.