Franklin College students showcase Thomasine Allen’s legacy through PALNI’s and PALCI’s Hyku Commons Repository

INDIANAPOLIS and FRANKLIN, Ind.—Franklin College, a PALNI-supported institution, proudly announces the Thomasine Allen Online Collection, a student-led project honoring the extraordinary legacy of Thomasine Allen, a 1911 graduate whose work bridged cultures and transformed communities. This innovative collection was created by undergraduate researchers Grace Allen ’26, Allison Meyer ’27, and Hannah Phegley ’26, with funding from the 2024 Council of Independent Colleges Humanities Research for the Public Good Initiative.

The collection is hosted in Hyku Commons, a shared repository service based on the Samvera Community’s Hyku software. This service is provided by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) and the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration & Innovation (PALCI). Franklin College’s B.F. Hamilton Library, in partnership with PALNI and its network of collaborators, played a vital role in bringing this project to fruition.

“Experiential learning is at the heart of what we do at Franklin College, and our on- and off-campus partnerships enhance these student experiences,” says Jessica Mahoney ’96, Director of Library Services & Assessment and a PALNI Board Director. “This support and expertise give us the power to provide our students with engaged learning opportunities and expand access to archival materials throughout our community.”

PHOTO: Franklin College students work with Jessica Mahoney (right), Director of Library Services & Assessment, to bring the Thomasine Allen Online Collection to life.

A legacy of service and connection

Thomasine Allen’s life story is one of conviction, faith, and grace. In 1938, Allen embarked on  rural ministry in Kuji, Japan. Despite being detained during World War II, she continued her mission upon returning to the United States, working at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in California. Seven years later, Allen resumed her work in Japan, expanding a kindergarten she had founded into a junior college and laying the foundation for a sister-city relationship between Kuji and Franklin, Indiana, formalized in 1961.

Allen’s extraordinary contributions were recognized both locally and internationally. She received the Imperial Fifth Order of the Sacred Jewel in 1958 and the Fourth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1968 from the Japanese government. Franklin College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1959, and her legacy continues to resonate through Kuji Alley in downtown Franklin and annual student exchange programs between Franklin Community Schools and Kuji.

Students collaborate with community partners

The students worked closely with community partners, including David Pfeiffer of the Johnson County Museum of History, Susan Sutton ’82 of the Indiana Historical Society, and Greg Moore of the Johnson County Historical Society.

Faculty and staff mentors also played key roles in guiding the project. Mahoney and Dr. Meredith Clark-Wiltz, Professor and Roger D. Branigin Chair in History, provided academic oversight. Doug Jaggers, Assistant Director of the Pulliam School of Journalism, offered hands-on photography support, while Betsy Schmidt ’85, Director of Academic Partnerships, ensured seamless project administration.

Advancing digital scholarship: PALNI and Hamilton Library’s role

The Thomasine Allen Online Collection is hosted in Hyku Commons and built on an open-source repository platform from the Samvera Community—a collaboration across many academic institutions. Through the Hyku for Consortia project, PALNI and PALCI developed a cost-effective and collaborative solution for managing and sharing digital collections across more than 50 libraries. Grant funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS),  made these advancements possible, broadening access to cultural and scholarly resources.

Franklin College’s B.F. Hamilton Library played a pivotal role in the project’s success by leveraging Hyku’s capabilities to preserve and share Allen’s legacy. Through this platform, her inspiring story is reaching new audiences, encouraging future generations to build bridges across cultures and communities.

“Thanks to the talents and expertise of our library leaders, like Jessica Mahoney, the library staff of PALNI-supported institutions are making meaningful contributions on an international stage alongside a diverse array of educational and cultural heritage organizations within the Samvera Community,” says Kirsten Leonard, PALNI Executive Director. “Our service continues to evolve as we work with partners in the Samvera Community to enhance the software and advance our shared approaches to building, teaching, and learning from digital collections.”

This project highlights the power of collaboration between students, faculty, libraries, and community partners. Through initiatives like the Thomasine Allen Online Collection, PALNI-supported institutions such as Franklin College are setting new standards for digital scholarship and cultural access.

Visit the Thomasine Allen Online Collection and Hyku for Consortia online.

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About the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI)

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) is a non-profit organization that supports collaboration for library and information services for 24 colleges, universities, and seminaries throughout the state. From its inception in 1992, the PALNI collaboration has been a key avenue for its supported institutions to contain costs while providing more effective library services. More recently, PALNI has adopted a model of deep collaboration that pools resources and people as a tool to expand services while containing costs. Simultaneously, PALNI is expanding collaboration within its institutions and with external library partners to address challenges and build cost-effective services. Visit www.palni.org for more information. 

PALNI Supported Institutions

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary | Anderson University | Bethel University | Butler University | Concordia Theological Seminary | Christian Theological Seminary | DePauw University | Earlham College | Franklin College | Goshen College | Grace College | Hanover College | Huntington University | Manchester University | Marian University | Oakland City University | University of Saint Francis | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | Saint Mary’s College | Saint Meinrad’s Seminary and School of Theology | Taylor University | Trine University | University of Indianapolis | Wabash College

About The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration & Innovation (PALCI)

The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization that originated in 1996 and was incorporated in 1998 as the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. Today, PALCI’s membership has grown to include more than 70 academic and research libraries in Pennsylvania and contiguous states. PALCI’s mission is to enable cost-effective and sustainable access to information resources and services. PALCI is known for its highly-regarded EZBorrow consortial interlibrary loan (ILL) service. PALCI members collaborate to serve over 800,000 students, faculty, and staff, focusing on collaborative collections programs, resource sharing services, and innovative technology projects and approaches to library services. Visit www.palci.org for more information.

About Samvera

Samvera is an Icelandic word meaning “togetherness.” The Samvera Community is a global community of technologists who create and maintain repository software; you can’t install Samvera, but you can install the repository solutions we develop together including Avalon Media System, Hyrax, and Hyku. Institutions worldwide rely on Samvera Community-supported software to provide access to their digital content. Samvera is also a community of practice where software developers and library technologists can support and learn from one another. We have active participation from metadata specialists, repository managers, user experience professionals, and others who contribute their expertise to ensure the software stays relevant and responsive to changing needs. Samvera software is free and open source, available under an Apache 2 license. It offers flexible and rich user interfaces tailored to distinct content types on top of a robust back end – giving adopters the best of both worlds. Visit www.samvera.org for more information.