University of California, Los Angeles

In this Early Career Development research project, Dr. Michelle Caswell will study several questions related to the use and users of community archives, centered on the needs of LGBTQ communities and communities of color. The research will investigate the impact of independent, community-based archives in Southern California on the individuals and communities they serve, as well as provide tools for such archives to assess and articulate their impact. A preliminary community archives impact model will also be tested. Users of five community-based archives in Southern California will participate in focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Outcomes of the project will include an open assessment toolkit for community archives to study and assess their own users, as well as published research results.