Hello! I am an Archivist at Kennedy Library's Special Collections and Archives. I can help you navigate archives research and primary sources, from Kennedy Library's Special Collections and Archives to around the world and online.
Contact:
Special Collections and Archives
Kennedy Library, Cal Poly
Gaps and Silences in Archives and Special Collections
While archives have been viewed as unbiased repositories of the past in its entirety, they are in fact spaces of gaps and silences. These gaps and silences are due to changing opinions of archivists have considered "of enduring value," and can reflect historical, institutional, and internalized racism, classism, sexism, and ignorance of marginalized genders and sexualities. Biases may also impact the archivist's description. Archives are not neutral.
There are millions of primary sources in our archives! But they aren't all digitized and aren't all in the library catalog. So how do you know what is here?
Most archives have areas they focus on, such as geographic areas, organizations, communities, and topics. Here some of our areas of focus and point to additional information on these areas.
Learn more about the ever-expanding artists' books collection at the Artists' Books guide.
Browsing the archives on OAC
You may just want to browse the archives! In addition to the guides above, you can also browse lists of our archival collections at the Online Archive of California. Learn more about the OAC here.
Sometimes, when you are just getting started with research in an archives, it can help to see collections from communities, or about topics and subjects, to get familiar. Here we've listed some of the archival collections that may be of interest as you begin your research. This is a selection to get you started. You can also browse many of our collections on the Online Archive of California.
Many of the archives relate to the experiences of communities on the Central Coast and California. Here are some of the archival collections:
The archives has many collections of environmentalists who were involved on the central coast, including activism around Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
The archives holds a variety of materials that document the history of California Travel and Boosterism history, from train schedules to city brochures. These materials are cataloged in the library's catalog OneSearch. Explore the collection.