Partnerships for Preservation: Building Capacity in the Archival Community
Event Type
Presentation
Start Date
25-7-2025 11:15 AM
End Date
25-7-2025 11:45 AM
Description
Community-centered collecting and community archives have become central to the work of archives in academic institutions, especially those located in areas with diverse communities. Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region are culturally rich, representing a multiplicity of peoples whose stories have been excluded from the traditional historical record. Efforts to remedy this exclusion are underway in the special collections departments at various academic institutions, including California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). This important work is currently impacted both by limited institutional resources and the changing political landscape.
In order to gauge how archivists and librarians in Southern California institutions, libraries, and cultural spaces are approaching this work, we aim to conduct a survey and using the results, establish a practice of community-based collaboration and communication in the field. The aim of the survey is to determine the current state of archival collecting in libraries and library departments in Southern California, particularly information about:
- Collecting priorities and special projects/collecting initiatives.
- Capacity - for acquisitions, storage, and processing.
Upon completion of the survey, an in-person convening of library workers who are actively collecting in Los Angeles will be planned to discuss how to collaborate going forward. Particularly in regards to how best to use the resources at our disposal to continue the important work of community building among those underrepresented in our archives and collections.
This 30 minute session will invite attendees to consider and discuss the need to establish a community of practice amongst archivists, librarians, and library workers. It will explore how archives in Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region can communicate with each other to facilitate work with donors and communities. Finally, it will offer the opportunity to those interested to become part of this project.
Outcomes
- Discussion of and feedback on draft survey.
- Generate ideas on how to create an environment of collaboration amongst archivists, librarians, and library workers.
- Find colleagues and practitioners who are interested in participating in this project.
Partnerships for Preservation: Building Capacity in the Archival Community
Community-centered collecting and community archives have become central to the work of archives in academic institutions, especially those located in areas with diverse communities. Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region are culturally rich, representing a multiplicity of peoples whose stories have been excluded from the traditional historical record. Efforts to remedy this exclusion are underway in the special collections departments at various academic institutions, including California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). This important work is currently impacted both by limited institutional resources and the changing political landscape.
In order to gauge how archivists and librarians in Southern California institutions, libraries, and cultural spaces are approaching this work, we aim to conduct a survey and using the results, establish a practice of community-based collaboration and communication in the field. The aim of the survey is to determine the current state of archival collecting in libraries and library departments in Southern California, particularly information about:
- Collecting priorities and special projects/collecting initiatives.
- Capacity - for acquisitions, storage, and processing.
Upon completion of the survey, an in-person convening of library workers who are actively collecting in Los Angeles will be planned to discuss how to collaborate going forward. Particularly in regards to how best to use the resources at our disposal to continue the important work of community building among those underrepresented in our archives and collections.
This 30 minute session will invite attendees to consider and discuss the need to establish a community of practice amongst archivists, librarians, and library workers. It will explore how archives in Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region can communicate with each other to facilitate work with donors and communities. Finally, it will offer the opportunity to those interested to become part of this project.
Outcomes
- Discussion of and feedback on draft survey.
- Generate ideas on how to create an environment of collaboration amongst archivists, librarians, and library workers.
- Find colleagues and practitioners who are interested in participating in this project.
