DIY Community Archives

Community archives can originate from many sources. They represent groups of people linked by shared culture, location, religion, interests, or experiences. These archives preserve the community’s lived experiences and legacy, often through letters, photographs, flyers, meeting minutes, news clippings, crafts, artwork, and other materials.

Recent global events have underscored that we are living through a historic era. Social unrest, along with heightened attention to social justice and racial equity, has prompted historians, archivists, and funding organizations to prioritize documenting communities historically excluded from the record. It is essential to provide these communities with the tools and knowledge to create their own archives.

Step 1: Identify stakeholders, leaders, and potential collection materials

Start by pinpointing key people—both formal and informal leaders—and locating where relevant materials currently exist. Contact them with a short explanation of your goals, why you’ve reached out, and an invitation to discuss creating a community archive. Keep a spreadsheet or document to record information from these initial conversations. Possible stakeholders include:

Community-run organizations and their staff, leadership, or members
Local leaders such as business owners, civil servants, elders, and emerging organizers

Step 2: Define a collecting mission

After gathering input from stakeholders, analyze your findings to create a collecting mission—your guiding statement on what you will collect and why. This should define the subject matter and types of items you’ll include, ensuring your archive stays relevant and purposeful.

Examples of items to keep:

Text-based: letters, postcards, posters, flyers, programs, pamphlets, newspapers, reports, records
Visual: photographs, negatives, slides
Multimedia: audio recordings, films, DVDs, VHS tapes
Born-digital: materials originally created in digital form

Examples of items not to keep:

Duplicates
Materials with mold, pests, or other preservation risks
Items duplicated in other collections
Items unrelated to the community or the mission

Step 3: Decide on storage solutions

Next, determine where the collection will live—physically, digitally, or both. In many cases, a digital-only archive works best, as it allows the community to keep original items while still granting access through digitized versions. This approach requires permission from owners and ensures they retain rights to their materials. Whatever format you choose, storage arrangements must be made in advance.

Step 4: Secure resources and funding

With logistics in place, identify the resources needed to bring the archive to life. Collaborate with stakeholders to find financial support, in-kind contributions, equipment-sharing opportunities, grants, and donors. Consider the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Community-Based Archives grant.

Budget for possible costs such as:

Physical or digital storage space
Archival supplies
Digitization equipment and software
A Collections Management System (CMS) or Digital Asset Management System (DAMS)
Staff or consultants to manage the archive

Creating a community archive is both demanding and deeply rewarding. By establishing a strong foundation, you can help ensure your community’s stories, achievements, and heritage are preserved for future generations.