L.A.’s Rich and Diverse History on Display at the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From the activists who struggled for social justice in their neighborhoods to the trolleys that once connected far-flung communities, Los Angeles history comes alive Oct. 27 in USC’s Doheny Memorial Library at the 7th-annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar.

“A Very Quick Tour of Los Angeles Area Archives”

Presented by L.A. as Subject and the USC Libraries, the daylong event celebrates the unique stories and history of the Los Angeles area. For serious researchers and casual history buffs alike, the Archives Bazaar offers unique encounters with exhibits from more than 80 historical collections and archives—typically scattered across Southern California—all inside the historic Doheny Library.

Large institutions like the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the LACMA Balch Art Research Library are represented, as are private collections like the Wally G. Shidler Historical Collection of Southern California Ephemera.

“One of the hallmarks of Los Angeles historical records is that they show up in the most unlikely places,” said Michael Palmer, co-chair of the Archives Bazaar planning committee and a processing archivist at the library of the Claremont Colleges. “With over 80 different collections and repositories all in one place, this is the best way to make those surprising discoveries.”

The USC Libraries serve as the host institution for L.A. as Subject, an association of archives, libraries, museums, community organizations, and private collectors. The relationship complements the USC Libraries’ strong regional history collection and is a natural outgrowth of the libraries’ efforts to preserve and expand access to the primary sources of Southern California history.

This year’s Archives Bazaar also marks the opening of a new exhibition on the ground floor of Doheny Library. “Water and Power” explores, through more than two dozen images from L.A. as Subject member institutions, the roles water and power—figuratively and literally—have played in shaping Los Angeles history.

A rich suite of programming complements the rare historical materials on display. This year, a new event will connect scholars, students, and history fans with the historical collections they’re looking for. A kind of archival speed dating, “A Very Quick Tour of Los Angeles Area Archives” features more than a dozen L.A. as Subject members who, in rapid-fire succession, will share one notable item from their archives.

Four panel discussions will delve deeper into selected themes from Los Angeles history, from how the city became the center of car culture to the way tourists’ postcards advertised L.A.’s charms to the rest of the world.

An educational session will introduce attendees to the process of conducting oral history interviews, and the bazaar also features a screening of “Everyday Sunshine: the Story of Fishbone,” a documentary film about the L.A.-based band and its genre-bending sound.

The Archives Bazaar runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Doheny Memorial Library on USC’s University Park Campus. Admission is free. For more information, please visit laassubject.org.

Immediately after the bazaar, a public reception for the opening of “Water and Power” will begin at 5 p.m. on the ground floor of the library. To RSVP for the exhibition opening, go to www.usc.edu/esvp (code: archives).