This piece contributes to the literature on pluralizing the archival curriculum. It describes digital pedagogies used in archival courses to help students develop cultural competence. Cultural competence in library and information science is defined as the ability to function effectively in information environments serving populations from diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic populations.1 We use relational reflexivity as a research method that engages with both educator and students’ perspectives on the value and use of such pedagogical strategies.
In one course, students created digital stories concerning diversity in the LIS professions ranging from topics on Latino cultural literacies to the role archives have in supporting Native American language preservation. In another course, students collaborated with faculty and curators to produce digital exhibits documenting local cultures and communities by using the scholarly publishing platform Scalar. This work has implications not only on the type of sociotechnical engagement educators foster to develop a pluralistic curriculum, but also on how such activities can help empower students
About the Authors:
Janet Ceja Alcalá is a faculty member at Simmons College in the School of Library and Information Science; she holds a doctorate degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her scholarly fields of interest include the history and preservation of moving images, archival education and advocacy, and the role of archives in preserving intangible cultural heritage in Mexico and in Latino and Indigenous communities in the U.S.
Cordelia L. Hooee is a graduate student, Knowledge River Scholar, at the University of Arizona, School of Information; she is a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona’s American Indian Film Gallery. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from Arizona State University. She is a member of the Zuni Tribe and is from Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. A majority of Cordelia’s library career was spent working at the Pueblo of Zuni’s public library, and while she is a full-time student, she remains active in the New Mexico tribal library community and with the Zuni Public Library. Cultural materials and language preservation are her focus as she works towards a master’s degree in library science.
Jessica Kniest is a graduate student at the University of Arizona’s School of Information, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in Library and Information Science. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. Her interests include writing, archiving and preserving documents, and organizing digital information. She currently works in the Graduate College Admissions office at the University of Arizona.
Hanni Nabahe is an ARL/SAA Mosaic Fellow and Knowledge River Scholar with the School of Information at the University of Arizona, pursuing an MLIS degree and graduate certificates in Archives and Digital Information Management. Originally from southern Mexico, she holds a BA in English from Brigham Young University. She is a library instructor at the Pima County Public Library, and has worked in Special Collections with both the University of Arizona and UC San Diego. Hanni is an active member of the American Indian Library Association, REFORMA, SAA, and SLA, and her professional interests include digital access and preservation of archival materials with a special focus on underrepresented/marginalized communities and indigenous language revitalization, as well as related intellectual property and copyright issues.
Monique Perez holds a BS in Education from the University of Arizona where she majored in Literacy, Learning and Leadership with a minor in History. She is a 2014 i3 (iSchool Inclusion Institute) Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh, where she will be completing research along with her colleagues through the summer of 2015. Monique is currently obtaining her MLIS at the University of Arizona through Knowledge River – a program that focuses on educating information professionals who are committed to serving diverse populations, specifically Latino and Native American communities. In 2014, she was selected as an Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW) Scholar. She has a passion to assist underserved populations, such as the Latino community and increase early literacy skills and access to information and resources. She currently works with Make Way For Books, an early literacy resource center in Tucson, Arizona, as well as the Research and Learning Team at the University of Arizona Main Library.
