Libraries creating sustainable services during community crisis: Documenting Ferguson
| Published date | 08 August 2016 |
| Date | 08 August 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-06-2016-0049 |
| Pages | 352-362 |
| Author | Makiba J. Foster,Meredith R. Evans |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Libraries creating sustainable
services during community
crisis: Documenting Ferguson
Makiba J. Foster
Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division,
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,
New York, New York, USA, and
Meredith R. Evans
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Throughout history various social movements have galvanized the masses to actualize a
more inclusiveand humane world. It is through librariesand archives that the authors can revisitthose
momentsin time to better understandthe past and hopefully builda better future.Issues of sustainability
within libraries and archives collecting traditional materials from important historical events still create
somewhat of a challenge, but with advancements of technologies and workflows, the authors are now
better equipped to manage and preserve those items. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach –However, in terms of the historical importance of the content
from recent protests against police violence, the question arises of how does one create sustainable
processes on materials that are captured on temporal technologies or how does an institution create
trust where protesters and activists will freely place their content in a digital archive?
Findings –Washington University in St Louis Libraries’project Documenting Ferguson, is
attempting to tackle some of those challenging questions and working through the implications of a
non-traditional social movement’s impact on archival collection building and future research, teaching,
and learning. Both authors served on the steering committee as employees of Washington University
Libraries upon project inception.
Originality/value –Rapid responsecollecting with the intentto preserve and make accessible relevant
born digital content for future generations and to develop unlikely relationships with neighboring
community to ensure history is documented from multiple view points.
Keywords Community, Protests, Libraries, Activism, Digital archives, Ferguson
Paper type Case study
Throughout history, social movements have galvanized the masses to actualize a more
inclusive and humane world. From the diasporic black freedom struggle to women’s
liberation, or LGBTQ rights to socio-economic equality, these interconnected cause s,
despite their gains in the past 50 years remain ongoing issues within communities
around the world. As part of the institutional framework within most communities,
libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions are poised to make key
contributions to these movements. Through their efforts, we can revisit moments in
time to better understand local and national social history. With libraries working to
document a community’s history, Washington University in St Louis Libraries’project
Documenting Ferguson, was an effort to meet the information needs of the local and
national public in the midst of a turbulent response to police violence in the
St Louis metropolitan area. A goal of this effort was to create sustainable practices that
were responsive to technology-savvy protesters who were producing content to
document their experiences as well as to pioneer a project experimenting with fresh
Library Management
Vol. 37 No. 6/7, 2016
pp. 352-362
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-06-2016-0049
Received 26 April 2016
Revised 25 June 2016
Accepted 17 July 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
352
LM
37,6/7
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