UC Irvine Libraries

In this video recorded workshop, University of California, Irvine (UCI) Libraries Special Collections and Archives librarians provide an overview of the importance and purpose of community-centered archives. Community-centered archives come into being through collaborative partnerships between mainstream archival institutions and communities that are underrepresented in the historical record. Their goal is to empower communities in the process of telling and preserving their own histories. Topics covered in the worshop include: why archives matter, community-based archives, and the concepts of symbolic annihilation and representational belonging. This workshop is based on an in-class workshop for UCI undergraduates conducted as part of the "Transforming Knowledge, Transforming Libraries"  3-year Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) research grant in the community anchors category awarded to UCI Libraries.