Organizing Our Communities’ Records: Connecting a Community to Its History By Yesenia Lopez

1. Organizing Our Communities’ Records: Connecting a Community to Its History By Yesenia Lopez

2. NJHRIC

3. The Puerto Rican Community Archives’ Mission To identify, collect, process, preserve, and make available for research, materials that will document the history and legacy of the Puerto Rican communities in New Jersey

4. Survey Project • Over 2,000 cu. ft. of material statewide • Resulted in a Map • Indicating • Location • Subject matter • Size • Condition • Type of material

6. St. Columba Neighborhood Club –History of Inactive Records • Numerous executive directors • Flood damage • Move • High school students – • Youth Employment Summer (YES) program • No inventory of current holdings

7. NJHRIC & St. Columba Neighborhood Club Collaborative Project (2006) Project Archivist trained NJHRIC’s summer intern to serve as project leader Project leader trained and guided HS students in record keeping and identifying historical records Students attended a Career Day at the Newark Public Library

8. Collaborative Project Issues • Lack of work space • Boxes were removed from the room to make space • Lack of storage supplies • YES Program coordinator managed to find other boxes, supplies, and extra filing cabinet • Lack of computers to input inventory data • Only the Project Leader input all the inventory data

9. Collaborative Project Outcomes HS Students and project leader learned valuable work, life, and technology skills A complete inventory was created Historical records were identified Project leader and students were introduced to college, career and employment information resources at the Library

10. OOCR: a Workforce Development Project 2007 2008 FOCUS, Inc. Project Shadow Funded by HSBC CHPRD NPL Curriculum 13 – 16 yr olds • ASPIRA, Inc. of NJ • At-Risk Youth Mentoring Program • Funded by • Verizon Foundation • CHPRD • NPL • Curriculum • H.S. Jrs & Srs

11. Curriculum • Weeks 1 – 2: Project Leader Training • Weeks 3 - 4: Record Assessment and Youth Training (Workforce Development Workshops Begin) • Weeks 5 – 8: Organization of Records • Weeks 9-10: Wrap-up/ Evaluations

12. Workforce Development Workshops(High School Juniors & Seniors) Career Goals and Interests: What do I Want to be When I Grow up? How to Write a Killer Resume Getting to College: Information on Colleges and Scholarships Using Microsoft Excel Power Point: How to Create Multimedia Presentations

13. Workforce Development Workshops(13 – 16 year olds) • Homework Helpers • Tutor.com, QandANJ • Email reference • Webguides for homework help for preteens and teens • Remotely available databases for biography, history, magazines, and general information • College & Careers • Resources for finding higher education according to degrees offered, location, and cost • How to find career information

14. BEFORE AFTER

15. PRCA RESULTS • ASPIRA, Inc. of NJ – 38cu ft of historical records were identified and donated • FOCUS, Inc. – 10 cu ft of historical records were identified and are pending donation • Raised awareness of need to preserve history

16. OOCR: a Workforce Development Project (2009) • HISPA, Inc. – Records • Donated 20 cu ft. of historical records • Processing project • Academic year • Field trips to local history sites (museum, library, historical society)

17. The Connection • Students & community organizations learned: • About archives and the value of history • How to identify historical records • The proper care and storage of historical records • The practice and importance of recordkeeping

18. Yesenia Lopez Project Archivist Puerto Rican Community Archives The NJ Hispanic Research & Info Center at The Newark Public Library ylopez@npl.org (973)733-4791