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October 28, 2023 - Comments Off on LAAC Statement of Solidarity with Palestine

LAAC Statement of Solidarity with Palestine

Dear LAAC Community:

As a genocide in Palestine unfolds at this very moment, we look to history to remind us that the root of violence is injustice. We grieve with our Palestinian and Jewish communities for all lives lost, and we stand in solidarity with the liberation of Palestine. Support of the Palestinian people is not antisemitism. It is urgent to be informed and intentional about the narratives we share.

As archivists, it is our duty to preserve history, provide access to evidence, and promote social awareness. As such, we are compelled to acknowledge the historical context underlying the violence in Palestine today. History shows us that this violence did not start on October 7th, 2023. It emerged from 75 years of occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people by the settler colonial state of Israel.

So, to serve our collective learning and liberation, we offer a list of resources, some of which are archives specific and some of which are not.

We add our voices to those of activists, students, and people from all faiths and walks of life speaking out against the ongoing genocide. As information workers, we also express our concern at the rising number of cases of censorship and the stifling of free speech about Palestine and Palestinian human rights. We unequivocally uphold our right to freedom of speech and protection from censorship and harassment.

Collectively, we can use our skills and knowledge to cut through campaigns of misinformation, which we recognize as the manifestation of racism and Islamophobia. Spread awareness on social media. Protect each other during protests by blurring faces in photos to keep identities private. Donate funds, sign petitions, and call your representatives.

LAAC is committed to dismantling systems of oppression, white supremacy, and colonialism everywhere.

In solidarity, 

Los Angeles Archivists Collective Leadership

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

RESOURCES

Archival & Library Organizations

  • Librarians and Archivists with Palestine is a network of self-defined librarians, archivists, and information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
  • Palestinian Libraries are a focus of the Social Responsibilities Round Table within the American Library Association (ALA).

Reading Lists:

Local Archives: 

Virtual Archives: 

Donations:

  • Palestine Red Crescent Society is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies providing healthcare and humanitarian assistance to Palestine.
  • Palestine Children's Relief Fund provides free medical care to injured and ill children who lack local access to care within the local health care system.

Actions: 

  • US Campaign for Palestinian Rights offers resources and strategic support for local organizers, activists, and policymakers in solidarity with Palestine.
  • Jewish Voice for Peace is a grassroots movement led by Jewish Americans in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.
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February 16, 2024 - Comments Off on 2024 Candidate Bios for LAAC Leadership Positions:

2024 Candidate Bios for LAAC Leadership Positions:

Steering Committee, Secretary, Programming Subcommittee, Outreach Subcommittee

More info about positions and the election process can be found in our bylaws. Voting ends 02/23/2024. Thank you for your participation!

 

 

Steering Committee (3-year term)

Jimmy Zavala

Candidate bio

Jimmy Zavala is the Teaching and Learning Librarian at UCLA Library Special Collections. Prior to joining UCLA, he was the Project Coordinator Librarian for Transforming Knowledge, Transforming Libraries, a three-year IMLS funded grant research project analyzing the intersection of Ethnic Studies and Community Archives. Jimmy received his MLIS with a specialization in Archival Studies from UCLA.

Candidate statement

Jimmy seeks to carry on the groundwork laid by previous and current members of the steering committee and continue to make LAAC a welcoming organization for the archives community in Los Angeles. Jimmy is committed to supporting members of LAAC with the resources the collective has to offer while working towards expanding the membership of the collective. Furthermore, Jimmy pledges to strive towards uplifting communities historically marginalized and underrepresented in the archives field.

 

Secretary (2-year term)

Isabella Sanchez

Candidate bio and statement

Isabella Sanchez is currently an undergraduate student majoring in History while also working as a student assistant at the Special Collections and Archives at CSULA. She plans to attend SJSU for her MLIS with a focus in archives this upcoming Fall semester. Isabella hopes she’ll be able to learn and grow while taking part as an active member of the LAAC and connect more with the archives community in LA.

 

Programming Subcommittee Chair (1-year term)

Jocelyn Acosta

Candidate statement

As the current Programming Chair, I stepped into this role outside of an election cycle and would like to fulfill a full elected term.

 

Outreach Subcommittee Chair (1-year term)

Meg Suhosky

Candidate bio and statement

Meg Suhosky is a project archivist at the Getty Research Institute. They received their MLIS from SJSU and prior to working at the GRI held project and limited-term positions at the Getty Conservation Institute, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Bitch Media, Oregon Health and Science University, and Portland State University. As a member of LAAC Meg has enjoyed connecting with local archivists and is inspired by the group’s genuine network of support and camaraderie. In 2022, they enjoyed volunteering on both the Programming and Outreach subcommittees. They appreciate the opportunity to serve as Outreach chair this year and hope to continue building upon the amazing work contributed by the previous chair.

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January 11, 2023 - Comments Off on 2023 Candidate Bios for LAAC Leadership Positions:

2023 Candidate Bios for LAAC Leadership Positions:

Steering Committee, Publications Subcommittee, Outreach Subcommittee, Secretary, Treasurer

More info about positions and the election process can be found in our bylaws.

Voting ends 01/25/2023. Thank you for your participation!

 

Steering Committee (3-year term)

Lizeth Ramirez

Candidate bio

Lizeth Ramirez is currently a Librarian/Archivist for Los Angeles Communities and Cultures at UCLA Library Special Collections. Her current work and collecting priorities focus on local marginalized communities, working to center them and their stories in the archival record. She received her MLIS with a focus on archival studies from San Jose State University. Prior to joining UCLA, she was an Archivist and Reference Librarian at the Orange Public Library & History Center in Orange, California, where she managed the local history archive for over eleven years. Born and raised in Southern California, she has worked in a variety of library settings as both a library assistant and librarian for over 18 years.

Candidate statement

As a member of the Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC), Lizeth has long admired the community-based approach of the organization and its inclusivity. As a Los Angeles-are archival organization, LAAC’s focus on providing outreach to local communities is vital. This work helps bridge the divide between institutionally held and community held collections and archives. As a member of the Steering Committee, Lizeth would offer her own experience working with local communities to continue such outreach and advocacy. She would also be interested in encouraging the participation in LAAC of archival students and professions operating outside of the academic sphere. Encouraging diversity in both its members and outreach efforts will further strengthen the mission and goals of LAAC.

Jimmy Zavala

Candidate bio

Jimmy Zavala is the Teaching and Learning Librarian at UCLA Library Special Collections. Prior to joining UCLA, he was the Project Coordinator Librarian for Transforming Knowledge, Transforming Libraries, a three-year IMLS funded grant research project analyzing the intersection of Ethnic Studies and Community Archives. Jimmy received his MLIS with a specialization in Archival Studies from UCLA.

Candidate statement

Jimmy seeks to carry on the groundwork laid by previous and current members of the steering committee and continue to make LAAC a welcoming organization for the archives community in Los Angeles. Jimmy is committed to supporting members of LAAC with the resources the collective has to offer while working towards expanding the membership of the collective. Furthermore, Jimmy pledges to strive towards uplifting communities historically marginalized and underrepresented in the archives field.

 

Publications Subcommittee Chair (1-year term)

Lori Dedeyan

Candidate bio

Lori Dedeyan is the Archivist at the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. She received her MLIS in 2014 and has previously worked at the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley and at UCLA Library Special Collections. She enjoys writing on the intersection of art and archives and has done so in the past as a contributor to LAAC’s magazine, Acid Free. Lori has been the Chair of the Publications Subcommittee since 2020 and most recently led the publication of Acid Free’s ARTISTS issue.

 

Outreach Subcommittee Chair (1-year term)

John B. Henry

Candidate statement

As the current Outreach Chair, I stepped into this role outside of an election cycle and would like to fulfill a full elected term.

 

Secretary (2-year term)

Sydney Henry

Candidate bio

Sydney (she/they) is a detail-oriented and organized archival professional with established experience in data and collection management and digital preservation. She is passionate about promoting cultural heritage while aiding institutions in becoming more efficient in their information management. Sydney is currently finishing a grant funded project at the Corita Art Center as a Digitization Project Archivist and will subsequently serve as the Metadata Specialist at The Academy's Film Archive.

Candidate statement

Stepped into the position late and would be delighted to fill a full term. As a recent-ish LA transplant it has been a great way to be involved with local archivists and archives enthusiasts!

Treasurer (2-year term)

Lauren McDaniel

Candidate bio

I have over fifteen years of collections experience and hold graduate degrees in archival studies and the histories of visual and material culture. Currently, I am Special Collections Coordinator and Subject Librarian for History at Chapman University. Previously, I have held temporary archivist positions at the Getty Research Institute and UCLA Library Special Collections. Since 2003, I have also been a self-employed information professional, managing my own business finances as well as clients’ accounts and expenses.

Candidate statement

I am LAAC's current treasurer and am volunteering to continue for another term. If re-elected, I aim to continue to improve upon how we financially communicate to and receive assistance from the Society of California Archivists, as one of its affiliate organizations. I have participated in and benefitted from LAAC’s valuable network and activities over the past few years. In addition to fulfilling my duties as Treasurer, I hope to continue to add to LAAC's value as a peer network during my next term, making it an ever-stronger resource and voice for our archival community.

June 2, 2020 - Comments Off on BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Dear LAAC Community:

Police brutality in the United States is a systemic and longstanding issue that disproportionately affects Black communities, resulting in state-sanctioned terror and death. This is not something LAAC feels neutral about: Black lives matter.

We are a collective of individuals who are committed to pursuing anti-racist work in our professional and personal lives. We support activists and organizers who put their lives at risk and push forward the message that these injustices against the Black community are wrong. 

In addition to physically protesting there are a number of ways to support sustainable transformation of communities during this time. Donate funds, sign petitions, call your local politicians, engage in and develop anti-racist practices. We include here a list of just some resources, some of which are archives specific and some of which are not. 

If you are documenting protest activity we strongly implore you to rely on ethical guidelines such as those put forth by Witness and DocNow, and employ tools that blur faces and identifiable traits. Do not put others' lives in danger in your pursuit of documentation- not everything needs to be archived the moment it happens. Our commitment is to that of our Black colleagues and neighbors first. 

As a collective, we will continue to use our skills and resources to seek and promote social justice. LAAC is committed to dismantling systemic white privilege and to advocating for Black lives.

In solidarity,
Los Angeles Archivists Collective Leadership + Founders

RESOURCES

Organizations
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment: This grassroots organization aims to register voters and empower Californians to advocate and vote for economic, racial, and social justice.

Black Lives Matter- Los Angeles: Los Angeles Chapter “guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.”

Black Visions Collective: “Since 2017, Black Visions Collective, has been putting into practice the lessons learned from organizations before us in order to shape a political home for Black people across Minnesota.”

Tools
Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives: Content produced in Professor Michelle Caswell’s Archives, Records, and Memory class, Fall 2016, UCLA. Poster design by Gracen Brilmyer.

Image Scrubber: “This is a tool for anonymizing photographs taken at protests.It will remove identifying metadata (Exif data) from photographs, and also allow you to selectively blur parts of the image to cover faces and other identifiable information.”

Activist Archivist Zine: Created by Kali Lawrie and Published by the LAAC Community Outreach & Advocacy Subcommittee, December 2016

Protest & Bail Funds Organizations 
The Bail Project: With locations in Compton, Van Nuys, and San Diego, as well as offices or partnerships in cities from coast to coast, the Bail Project is one of the largest and most established bail funds.

Los Angeles Bail Fund: Led by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and supported by White People 4 Black Lives. 100% of donations go to the bail fund.

Local Budget Funds/Organizations
People’s City Council Freedom Fund: The L.A. activist group Peoples City Council stages protest actions on a variety of issues around social and economic justice. Recently, the local group has been lobbying for a city budget that reduces the share of public funds used to pay for the LAPD.

People’s Budget Los Angeles: An “alternative to the Mayor’s proposed 2020-21 budget. Our document and data both reveal a clear referendum: invest in universal needs (e.g., housing security, public health/health care, mental health and wellness, etc.) and divest from traditional forms of policing.”

Ways to donate directly to the families of those who have recently been victimized by the police: 
Ahmaud Arbery (GoFundMe, I Run with Maud)
George Floyd (GoFundMe, Memorial Fund) 
Tony McDade (GoFundMe, Memorial Fund)
Sean Reed (GoFundMe, Memorial Fund)
Breonna Taylor (Change.org, Petition, Louisville Community Bail Fund)

March 16, 2020 - Comments Off on A Message To Our LAAC Community About COVID-19

A Message To Our LAAC Community About COVID-19

Dear LAAC Community:

First and foremost, we hope that everyone is staying safe and doing their best to practice self-care as we all attempt to navigate this stressful and confusing time.

We want to highlight community resources that are available for archivists and information professionals who find themselves impacted by COVID-19. Members of the LAAC community are invited to contribute to this list here: COVID-19 Community Resources for Archivists.

We also want to remind folks that the LAAC community is a valuable network of caring archivists. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the community if you find yourself in need of assistance. We are all in this together and we will get through it together!

Thank you to everyone who has already registered for the March 22 Community Planning Meeting, which will now be held online. Details for joining the Zoom meeting are included below—please note that you have the option to attend via phone or via computer. We will be introducing our new leadership and brainstorming potential remote activities which still bring LAAC community members together. 

Stay safe and take good care, everyone!

Sincerely,
The LAAC Steering Committee