LAAC Visits the Los Angeles Public Library

On April 1, Christine Rice, Senior Librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, gave two tours of LAPL’s historic photo collections. Excited attendees traveled through the halls of the vast downtown Central Library to the History Department, where they saw some of the more than 3 million photos housed in the archive, and heard some key details about the collections and facilities.

Christina gave a brief overview of the history and structure of the Photo Collection, which dates back to the World War II era, and then explained where and how certain collections are housed, including Security Pacific National Bank, the Valley Times, and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. Tour attendees also learned about the Shades of LA project, a 1990s initiative to collect images chosen from family photo albums in an effort to document the contemporary and historic diversity of families in Los Angeles. And as a nod to the archivists in the group, she discussed the challenges of caring for an archival collection in a public setting, such as dealing with the access expectations held by the public, and what it was like to undo decades of collection arrangement uninformed by archival theory.

Everyone had a great time, learned a lot, and really appreciated this chance to see a bit behind the scenes at LAPL. A big thank you to Christina for conducting the tours!

Happy Hour at the Hermosillo

By Kate Papageorge-Schneiderman (Social Activities Subcommittee)

Thursday, March 23rd, LAAC members from across the LA area headed to Highland Park for an evening of locally brewed beer and conversation. The social activities subcommittee decided on an East Side venue, as the group has not yet hosted a happy hour in that part of town. While it originated as a bar of somewhat questionable repute, the Hermosillo has recently been transformed into the home of Highland Park Brewery, which has a laid-back atmosphere and a seasonal beer menu displayed via overhead projector. In these surroundings, attendees were able to talk to fellow archivists while sampling the Hermosillo’s tasty food and drink.

A high point of the gathering was the debut of LAAC’s first pin-- the handsome enamel file folder proudly proclaiming the wearer’s avocation: ARCHIVIST. The pins were very popular, with many members going home with a new piece of LAAC flair.

We owe a special thanks to Ross, the owner of Highland Park Brewery, and the staff who reserved a large table for our platoon of information professionals and who hosted us so graciously.