Blanco Archives

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Dupré Library houses the papers of Kathleen Babineaux Blanco’s gubernatorial administration.

The 90 boxes of material making up Blanco’s gubernatorial papers detail her direction of the Katrina recovery efforts as well as the many other initiatives and issues that she and her staff addressed.

Prior to 2015, state law permitted former governors to retain ownership of their papers, according to the Louisiana State Archives. Most chose not to make the materials publicly available. Blanco, however, hired an archivist who guided her office’s preservation efforts, and has donated the collection to the University to be used by researchers and scholars. This archival effort ensures that future generations will have an unparalleled vantage point from which to view an extraordinary period in Louisiana’s recent past. 

The Blanco Center Archive will be widely available to researchers after the Blanco Center's permanent space opens in Dupré Library. Until that time, the Archive can be accessed on a limited basis and interested researchers should contact the Blanco Center Director for more information.