In the wake of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor murders, and in the spirit of protest that followed, the ArchivesSpace community began a conversation last spring about what it could do to promote diversity and inclusion while combating systemic racism in our field. That continuing conversation has led to a series of initiatives that we will undertake in the coming years, including the ArchivesSpace Diversity Partnership.
The ArchivesSpace Diversity Partnership is a new program that offers support for implementing the ArchivesSpace application to institutions that are themselves or primarily serve communities underrepresented in the ArchivesSpace community. Participating organizations will receive, at no cost to them, ArchivesSpace membership, hosting with a Registered Service Provider, training, and user and technical support for the duration of a three-year term.
Eligible organizations include:
- academic Minority-Serving Institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities
- non-profit or community archives primarily run by or serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)
- tribal archives
To be eligible for this new program, organizations cannot already be ArchivesSpace members or current hosting clients of any ArchivesSpace provider.
This program will launch with a small cohort of institutions on July 1, 2021. The three-year term will conclude on June 30, 2024.
More information about the ArchivesSpace Diversity Partnership, including information about how to apply, is available at https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ADC/pages/2049998863/ArchivesSpace+Diversity+Partnership. Members of the planning group are happy to talk about the program at any time – please contact us at ArchivesSpaceHome@lyrasis.org. Potential applicants who are interested in the experience of using ArchivesSpace at an underrepresented institution can contact Brittany Newberry (bnewberry@auctr.edu). She is happy to talk about Atlanta University Center’s experience implementing ArchivesSpace as an HBCU.
We are also holding an informational webinar on February 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT. Registration for the webinar is available at https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f6s6-6JeT_6q6I_TgIqWVA. The webinar will be recorded.
Thanks to all who participated in the discussions and feedback opportunities that have made this program possible. Please get in touch if you have questions or ideas on this or the other initiatives our community will be undertaking to make ArchivesSpace more diverse and inclusive.
On behalf of the Planning Group
Jessica Crouch, ArchivesSpace Community Engagement Coordinator
Christine Di Bella, ArchivesSpace Program Manager
Brittany Newberry, Atlanta University Center and ArchivesSpace User Advisory Council Chair
Sean Quimby, University of Pennsylvania and ArchivesSpace Governance Board Vice Chair
Madeline Sheldon, LYRASIS Digital Technology Services