Presentation

Forgotten in the Archive: Bringing Underrepresented Groups to the Forefront

---

Abstract

When we talk about diversity, we are referring to a swath of lived experiences. These experiences and perspectives add to the archival record and help us more fully serve and give voice to our histories, communities, and collections. Unfortunately, many of these voices have also been long ignored by the profession. This session will detail the initiatives and conversations that the speakers have developed to insert several historically underrepresented or marginalized groups back into the story of an institution. The presenters will discuss how we are purposefully creating space for Indigenous people, individuals with disabilities, and first-generation students at institutions including the University of Wisconsin–Stout, California State University, San Marcos, and Kansas State University. Heather Stecklein will discuss her efforts in increasing access to collections about individuals with disabilities by facilitating digitization internships for individuals with disabilities. Jennifer Ho will discuss her project which strives to record and preserve the voices of professional archivists who also happen to be immigrants or come from immigrant families. Audrey Swartz and Cassie Wefald will discuss their project to rediscover Indigenous students at their institution from an archivist and a student perspective.

How to Cite:

Swartz, A., Ho, J., Stecklein, H. J. & Wefald, C., (2022) “Forgotten in the Archive: Bringing Underrepresented Groups to the Forefront”, MAC Annual Meeting Presentations 2022(1).