The first annual Orange County Archives in Action: A Regional Archives Bazaar was held November 3 at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. The event was a product of the Orange County Archives in Action Planning Committee consisting of representatives from UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives, California State University Fullerton, Chapman University Leatherby Libraries, Orange Public Library and Anaheim Public Library. Krystal Tribbett, UCI Libraries’ Curator for Orange County Regional History served as chair of this inaugural event. Orange County Archives in Action was a free, public, daylong event that included over 25 institutions, cultural organizations, museums and archives exhibited collections, shared stories, and answered questions about the regions history. Among the exhibitors were:
- Bowers Museum
- Brea Museum & Historical Society
- Heritage Museum of Orange County
- Internet Archive
- Long Beach Public Library
- Orange Barrio Historical Society
- Orange County Jewish Genealogy Society
- Santa Ana History Room
- Seal Beach History Society
- Online Archive of California
- And many more!
UCI Special Collections & Archives hosted two tables at the bazaar, one with material focused on Orange County’s unique social and political past, and one with material from the Southeast Asian Archive. Several interns from the UCI History Department were on hand as volunteers for the event. Thanks go to Derek Quezada, Outreach & Public Services Librarian for Special Collection & Archives, and history interns Kasey Bass, Michelle Nguyen, and Cheyenne Read for helping to make the bazaar a great success.
The event also included presentations throughout the day by Orange County community members dedicated to preserving and increasing awareness and access to primary sources documenting the region’s diverse past. Thuy Vo Dang UCI Libraries’ Curator for the Southeast Asian Archive was among the presenters. She and her co-authors, Gustavo Arellano and Elaine Lewinnek spoke about their forthcoming book A People’s Guide to Orange County which presents unseen stories of Orange County through a social justice lens, underscoring the power of place to forge collective memory. Kevin Cabrera, Executive Director of the Heritage Museum of Orange County spoke about Little Texas, Santa Ana, civil rights culture and community identity. Independent scholar, Phil Brigandi and Chris Jepsen, Historian and Assistant Archivist of the Orange County Archives, talked about how archive materials open doors to Orange County’ past.
Almost 200 participants attended Orange County Archives in Action making it great success. Community members are already looking forward to next year and so are we!
For more information please contact Krystal Tribbett, Ph.D., Curator for Orange County Regional History and Research Librarian for Orange County at ktribbet@uci.edu or 949-824-9027.