Project STAND: AUC Woodruff Library
Theme: The Rise of Student Activism in the Age of Social Media
What are the concerns for student activists in regards to documentation and preservation of their digital lives as a member of a community traditionally silenced or
underdocumented in mainstream archives? How can social media records democratize
archival spaces? Contemporary student activism while incorporating the traditional
methods of direct action through demonstrations and protests has also witnessed the
convergence of online practices where organizing, communication, solicitation,
interrogation occurs primarily within digital spaces, more specifically through social
media. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Meetup, and Facebook have become tools for
documenting student dissent—whether it is digital flyers, interviews, demands to
administration, campaigns for change, or hashtags, a massive amount of data on student
activism exists in the digital. Archivists and other information professionals are being
tasked to document this rise in student activism, more specifically from students in
disenfranchised communities. The emergence of discourse on the centering of oppressed
communities within mainstream archives includes that of student activists. The archival
profession must document the full scope of student life with the objective of capturing
these richly diverse histories because they are pertinent to the evolution of colleges and
universities and their role in society.
The conveners of the first Project STAND symposium seek presentations related to the
ways information professionals can ethically document the experiences and activities of
student activists from vulnerable communities while respecting issues of privacy. Central
themes to our first forum will include an investigation of traditional archival praxis
within the realm of social media. We will look at the usage of restrictive access,
transparency, and forging a more equitable relationship between the record creator and
the repository. But we also want to do a deep dive on student activism through the lens of
race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ableism, with discussions on generational alliancesand intergenerational challenges.
We invite submissions from students, archivists, faculty, librarians, independent scholars and community members – to actively participate in the
conference.
Individual Papers. Please provide an abstract of 300-500 words and brief bio (75 words).
Please include 3-5 keywords.
Some topics include but are not limited to:
Archival Praxis and activist archives
Outreach
Privacy, Ethics, Power of Consent
Digital Technologies as tools/weapons
Student activism as labor
The Right to Be Forgotten
The Student as Creators, Custodian, and Historian
Silences in the Archives
Archivists as activists
Community Archives
Digital Presence and Permanence
Intersectionalities and student activism
Language and Representation
Intergenerational
Post-custodial