History is the glue binding communities together. As culture is passed down from generation to generation reinforces our connection to the past, we lay a firm foundation for the future.
During Preservation Week 2021, celebrated April 25– May 1 with the theme “Preserving Community Archives,” the American Library Association (ALA) will promote efforts to conserve community archives.
On Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28, join Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures for two free Preservation Week 2021 webinars.
ALA will join hundreds of libraries, institutions, archives, and museums from across the country to highlight ways in which the public can contribute to promoting and preserving their community’s history. Throughout Preservation Week libraries, institutions, archives, and museums will use the hashtag #preswk to engage with their communities and discuss their preservation programs and services.
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and New York Times Magazine journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones is the honorary chair of Preservation Week 2021. As the creator of The New York Times’s landmark 1619 Project, Hannah-Jones examines slavery’s modern legacy, reframing the way we understand the history of slavery and the contributions made by Black Americans to this nation. Her essay, “Our Democracy’s founding ideals were false when they were written. Black Americans have fought to make them true,” was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize.
As Preservation Week 2021 Honorary Chair, Hannah-Jones will appear in Preservation Week artwork and will chronicle preservation efforts through various social media channels. You can also follow her on Twitter with @nhannahjones as she engages in discussions surrounding civil rights and social justice throughout the week.
Preservation Week is supported by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, a division of the American Library Association.