The tacoma public library will bring community members and organizations together to carry out a fully participatory process to broaden participation and inclusion within cultural heritage collections

The Tacoma Public Library was awarded a $247,545 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' National Leadership Grants program to broaden participation and inclusion within cultural heritage collections. Over a two-year period ending August 2023, the Library will convene community members and organizations to collaboratively develop more equitable archives through a fully participatory process. This model aims to establish partnerships with diverse groups in small and mid-sized urban areas to produce community archives that better reflect the populations they serve. The project seeks to advance practice in the library field by deepening understanding of effective community engagement strategies and the impact of institutional archives on local communities.

This will create a model for institutions in small- and mid-sized urban areas seeking to enter collaborative partnerships with diverse groups to produce more equitable archives. This work contributes to greater understanding of how to develop better models of community partnerships for supporting community archives and how to expand knowledge of the impact of archives on urban communities.