Engage, educate and empower!
Established in 2017 with the support of Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, ASU Library’s Community-Driven Archives Initiative seeks to:
- Build strong relationships with historically marginalized communities (Latinx, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and LGBTQ).
- Work with Community Archivists to redefine the traditional definition and function of an archive.
- Center the lived experiences and knowledge of community members.
- Create intergenerational and intersectional safe spaces that reimagine archives and support lifelong learning.
- Acknowledge historical trauma and support healing projects led by the communities who are breaking cycles of erasure.
- Advocate for equal ownership of archives and shared stewardship responsibilities by providing free access to archival collections and library resources
Collections
In order to share untold stories and history, ASU Library seeks to digitize and make publicly accessible existing archival collections from the Chicano/a Research Collection and Greater Arizona Collection. The following collections have been made accessible on PRISM.
Bj Bud Memorial Archives
Largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) collection in Arizona
Graciela Gil Olivarez Photographs
Documents the life and work of Graciela, a Chicana community activist and organizer, between 1951 and 1982.
Rebecca Muñoz Gutierrez Photographs
Preserves the history of the Muñoz family and how they helped establish Los Conquistadores, the first Mexican American student organization at Arizona State University in 1937.
Teodoro Ocampo and Mariana Rodriguez Ocampo Family Photograph Collection
Documents the legacy of the Ocampo, Quesada, Ortega, and Valencia families between 1860 and 1980s in Arizona.
Valley Friends of the Farm Workers Photographs
Documents Arizona farm worker history and Cesar Chavez's "Fast of Love" in 1972.
News and blog
More news
Photo album sparks discovery of ASU's first female African American graduate
Michele Neptune McHenry and her husband, Joseph McHenry, were slowly making their way through the photo album when they came upon the photos and name card. The card, gray in tone, was about 1-by-2 inches. On it was a name: Miss Stella McHenry. ...
Black Collections are Essential to the Learning Community - Rashida Scott Blades
Arizona State University (ASU) has over 559,300 alumni and has educated thousands more through certificate programs. With the continuous expansion of ASU, thousands more will be educated and have access to the library resources that ASU offers. This means that there has not been a B...
Help Community-Driven Archives preserve diverse stories
For too long, most people have not been able to have their stories and history reflected in archives. “Seeing yourself in history, probably for the first time, and then reflecting on it leads to personal and collective healing. We humanize ourselves and others when we work with arch...
Idea: A reflection on bell hooks through ASU’s Black Collection - Rashida Scott
“Whether the issue is ending racism, sexism, homophobia, or class elitism, when I interview folks about what leads them to o...