In advance of the 2017 Annual Meeting, we invited SNAP members to contribute summaries of panels, section meetings, forums, and pop-up sessions. Summaries represent the opinions of their individual authors; they are not necessarily endorsed by SNAP, members of the SNAP Steering Committee, or SAA.
Guest Author: Jenifer Becker, Reference Librarian, WSU Vancouver Library
In the recent years, college and university campuses across the country have been the site of a new wave of student protests and activism. Student protests, spurred by tuition hikes, incidents of sexual assault and harassment, and racism and racial microaggressions on and off campuses, began in the early 2010s and arguably reached their zenith between Spring 2014 and Fall 2015. During this time, students came forward to share their experiences in the hopes that they might create a more inclusive environment on their campus.
The Society of American Archivist’s 2017 annual conference in Portland, Oregon brought together seven professionals from across the United States working to bring student and activist narratives into the college and university archives for a lightning round session, entitled “Documenting Student Activities and Activism on Campus.” Ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large public universities, five of the speakers addressed how they have operated within the confines of their institution to proactively seek student records and inform potential student donors. College and university campuses have long been the site of student protests and the recent efforts to seek student records have not been limited to currently enrolled students. One speaker addressed the possible role archives can have at reunions. Finally, speaking more broadly about activist records, another speaker addressed the difficulties archivists face in documenting this population in the age of social media.
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