Images of Agua y Tierra: Changing the Narrative of Chicano/Mexicano Farming

This presentation will consider how almost 10,000 pictures from the Chicano/Mexicano farming communities of the Upper Rio Grande Valley of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico can contribute and alter the narrative of farm working. This digital collection documents over 30 years of farming with acequias, or communal irrigation canals, and captures themes of food production, the care of the land and environment, and water management. In a time where large-scale agribusiness is fomented by Monsanto chemicals and seed control, these farmers work to maintain acequia agriculture. The presenter will discuss how her efforts with The Acequia Institute and SJSU ScholarWorks, an open access institutional repository, can contribute to greater community agency in the representation of Chicanos and Mexicanos in agriculture

Building Ethnically Diverse Digital Collections

Building ethnically diverse collections has always been challenging -- either because minority communities do not see traditional institutions as keepers of their histories or librarians/archivists are not embedded sufficiently in the communities to recognize the value of their materials. And lastly, when communities do donate physical materials, processing and enabling access to these collections can often be slow, due to a myriad of reasons. The perception of a lack of public interest may lead to low processing priority, which only increases the potential for loss. Minority communities\u27 motivation may be negatively impacted, furthering mistrust of traditional institutions and harming any potential momentum in acquiring materials. Open access platforms provide libraries and librarians with new opportunities to develop ethnically diverse collections without donors having to donate and gift items. It also allows the nonspecial collection library from needing the required archival space and requirements to properly house physical materials. At the Cultural Heritage Center at San Jose State University (SJSU), we have been digitizing community and university materials from our race/ethnic communities. SJSU faculty, students, and alumni have been pleased with the discoveries of these collections, which include graduation programs and student publications. Most libraries have access to the common hardware and software that can offer a more inclusive perspective than the traditional Special Collections archives. We will demonstrate how a team of individuals can make libraries\u27 digital collections more inclusive and ethnically rich and diverse