The History of LA as Subject: 25 years of championing less visible archives
Even historical organizations have their own stories to tell. In 1995, the Getty Research Institute launched its LA as Subject initiative to survey and catalog the less-visible archives of Southern California history. A quarter century later, the LA as Subject research alliance remains as essential as ever to building a more complete picture of L.A.'s past under the stewardship of its host institution, the University of Southern California (USC) Libraries. Through rare visual materials and interviews with key participants, this digital exhibit honors LA as Subject's twenty-five-year history of preserving, archiving, and sharing the culture and history of the Los Angeles region.
In 1999, the Getty's LA as Subject initiative produced both a bound directory and online database titled Cultural Inheritance/L.A.: A Directory of Less-Visible Archives and Collections in the Los Angeles Region, with entries for more than TK private collectors, community organizations, libraries, and museums with collections related to L.A. history. This directory was the culmination of the four year research project and many hours of work from hundreds of people and institutions. The directory remains the foundation upon which all the consortium's activities are built today. It ensures that researchers know what materials are available, where they are located, and how to access them.
In 2000, stewardship of the LA as Subject directory and database was transferred to the USC Libraries, which remains the administrative home of the consortium to this day. Entities in the directory became members, and a formal executive committee was established. In 2006, the executive committee created a charter that solidified the organization's four major goals: to improve the visibility of and access to archives; promote a more inclusive narrative; promote services to archives; and advocate for the preservation and sustainability of Los Angeles focused collections.
Today, several public programs raise the visibility of member collections. One of these programs is the annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar. At the all-day event, members exhibit their unique collections in one place, allowing scholars, researchers, archivists, librarians, students, and history enthusiasts to interact with the alliance’s members.
Another LA as Subject program evolved into a television show. In 2011, USC Libraries and KCET started a blog called LA as Subject. This weekly blog told forgotten stories from LA's past using artifacts from the collections of LA as Subject members. This blog was the inspiration for the Emmy wining television show LOST LA. LOST LA collaborates with LA as Subject members to help the public rediscover tales from the region's past that were lost to history. Through these collaborations LOST LA improves the visibility of archives and promotes a more inclusive narrative.
Facilitating networking and the sharing of archival best practices remains a central goal, of LA as Subject. Members also meet bimonthly at different locations around Southern California. These meetings allow participants to network, observe different preservation methods, and share best practices. The Member Meetings Archives are available on line. With grant funding from TK, LA as Subject also sponsors a Residency Program. The Residency Program provides recent MLIS graduates interested in archives, with the opportunity to learn from professionals and scholars in the field and gain experience in working with a variety of LA area community archives to evaluate and complete digital projects.
