As a cultural heritage institution, the University Archives at California State University, Chico, plays a powerful role in legitimizing histories and demonstrating the value of preserving  communities through the materials and stories those communities generate.

1st Gen Voices

The University Archives works to illuminate the present day experiences of Chico State University students with the 1st Gen Voices Oral History Project. 1st Gen Voices documents the memories, experiences, and stories of 1st Generation students, staff, and faculty here at Chico State. Through the 1st Gen Voices,  make their history part of the permanent history of the California State University, Chico archives.  

As a result of this project, the University Archives will have a collection that represents the abundant diversity of perspectives that make up the Chico State campus community.

When the project is completed, the University Archives will have documented the historical institutional knowledge of campus community members who represent 1st Generation college students. Through this documentation process, the University Archives will establish a repository of data for interdisciplinary research in the years to come.

Diversity Changemaker Oral History Project

Meriam Library University Archives Collection Development Plan seeks to include more narratives that represent student perspectives, working class experiences, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ communities. Oral histories are a data rich method of collecting narratives that represent voices from the margins. Gathering oral histories legitimizes the perspectives of underrepresented communities, whose stories may not have been documented in the written record.

Fomented by the retirement of key change agents, the University Archives will illuminate the history of CSUC diversity and inclusion efforts with The Diversity Changemaker Oral History Project (DCOHP). Through the promotion and implementation of DCOHP, the interviewees and the larger campus community will recognize institutional changemakers’ as cultural workers whose efforts have benefitted all of CSU Chico.

Library Oral History Project

The Library Oral History Project (LOHP) invites library personnel to deliberate upon their personal experiences, weaving their narratives within the wider American historical narrative, and the development of the Chico State campus. In this way, LOHP will be able to provide both a macro- and micro-level analysis of Meriam Library's role in institutional changes at Chico State.
 

For more information about the University Archives oral history projects, please contact Stefani Baldivia at sbaldivia@csuchico.edu 

Implementing an oral history project to deposit in the University Archives