Working for Tomorrow: Activism, Education, and Diversity in the Archives

Most people don’t know that Archivists and Librarians are required by most institutions to complete a Masters in Information Science. What you can do with this degree is wide-open: working with analog to digital assets, databases, information architecture, web development, archives, and library special collections of all different sorts (an LIS grad founded Know Your Meme). The average M.L.I.S student comes to this degree with an undergrad in another discipline, and what overwhelms many students is “mastering” skills and methods they may never have thought about until they entered their degree program.

I traveled to Atlanta to speak at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2016: The Joint Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists and the Society of American Archivists, on a panel about integrating my interests in community archiving and web design/development into a Library and Information Science Masters Curriculum. Working on projects that incorporated these skill sets was not always an easy feat as my degree did not have a specialization in either of these disciplines.

My co-presenters completed degrees for four different locations: California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Oklahoma yet we agreed on four integral elements for success not only with finding a career but to also develop skills as an activist librarian/archivist/information professional/human.

Advocate for experiences that expand your opportunities for activism — Do you have a problem with diversity always appearing at the end of the semester as a particular topic? Do you want to on projects that do more than fill your resume? Ask yourself what communities you identify with and what can you do to empower as someone who understands bit rot, embedded metadata, relational databases, and authority records? Talk with professors outside of classes, and when those professors see your passion suggest linking your side projects with your class assignments. Activism takes a lot of outside work, and sometimes it feels like graduate school is too insane to take on any more projects, but just try speaking with a professor or department chair. Diversity, advocacy, and activism does not take a singular form and the opportunities to join a project or team in the role of a student is perfect for hands-on learning.

My co-presenter Shavonn Matsuda working with filmmakers, farmers, and her community to promote Hawaiian heritage

Nurture and grow your connections: be genuine and build trust — In the world of Linkedin, Facebook, and the general cult of celebrity it can sound pretty blasé to re-enforce this point. As an introverted person who loves people, I tend to think about in these terms; I may hide from large crowds and probably will not live stream ever, but I can always find a new friend given the opportunity to make a genuine connection. When working with communities trust may be one of the most important elements for a successful project. Consider positionality and how to build friendship, before diving into someone’s culture. It is OK to grow connections slowly and organically. Instead of “networking” your making friends.

Working with the many faces of an artist collective in Oklahoma to archive their stories.

Create a portfolio to understand where you are and where you need to go — As someone who choose web design and digital experiences as a career path, this is a must. It is a mixed bag on which degree programs require a portfolio, but I find the exercise helpful for any individual with goals to archive. Anyone can talk about things they are doing or going to do, but a portfolio speaks louder in my opinion. It goes back to building trust; publishing work to the world shows confidence in yourself and lets others believe that your know how to reach your goals.

Find mentors who guide, support, and empower you — To master any skill guidance and support are crucial. Learning to be an advocate is a skill cultivated like anything else. The internet is a great collective mentor, but learning how to take advice, criticism, and compliments are something to try out IRL as well. Mentors are not always professors and come in different ages, shapes, and personalities. Mentors do not need to hold a position of power. Just find a few that work for you, and if it is not working exit the stage gracefully.

(side note — I am not a member of this organization and was confused about the “American” element. Upon further research found that it is one of the oldest archivists societies in North America, but I did not see any chapters in Canada or Mexico on their website???)