Abstract
Members of the Sacramento State University Library's Special Collections & University Archives applied for a Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Grant to digitize seven manuscript and archival collections as part of the 2024 "Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices" call for proposals. In anticipation of dire budget cuts in the upcoming years, this grant offered the possibility of allowing the department to grow our nascent digital collections program and demonstrate the impact digital collections can have on community relations. On this unexpected side quest, a digital collections librarian, a university archivist, and a department head formed a fellowship, combining their various skills to write a successful project proposal. While the grant was not ultimately awarded, this fellowship resulted in three key outcomes: a unified team with complementary expertise, a detailed strategic plan, and guaranteed value from their collaborative efforts.