The University of Illinois Library has received the archives of U of I alum, and Urbana native, Roger Ebert thanks to a donation from the Chicago Sun-Times.
The library has acquired the motion picture press kit files used by Ebert when he served as film critic for the newspaper, including 35mm slides and black and white glossy photographs, press release information promoting films from the 1980s through the early 2000s, as well as tear sheets of reviews.
In addition to the donation, the Sun-Times will also be residing closely with the new Roger Ebert Center being established within the College of Media at Illinois. The center will offer undergraduate scholarships and mentoring, along with other programs to those interested in filmmaking and film criticism.
At Ebert Fest this past spring, an online exhibit was created and debuted in honor of Ebert and showcases excerpts of his writing while a student as well as correspondence with his mentor, Dan Curley. The exhibit is available for viewing here.
For more information on the archives, check out the Facebook post and press release.