USC Libraries

The ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives recently processed 59 collections as part of a project that received a $133,577 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The project includes many diverse collections that document the beginnings of the LGBT civil rights movement in the United States and the daily lives of prominent artists, activists, and writers. The newly processed collections include photographs dating to 1850 and the records of organizations such as the Lambda Literary Foundation and LGBT running clubs. Another highlight is the papers of intersex activist Lynn Edward Harris. Keep reading for a complete list of the newly processed collections.

In an instant, Doheny Library's Nazarian Pavilion courtyard became the scene today of the first in a series of live, pop-up plays staged by the USC Libraries and USC School of Dramatic Arts Professor Oliver Mayer. Directed by USC School of Dramatic Arts graduate Jonathan Munoz-Proulx, the performance featured USC student actors and captured the essential role of libraries in creative and intellectual discovery. Guest star David Zayas (also known by television viewers as Sgt. Angel Batista) played himself, touting the wealth of resources available at the USC Libraries. "Aren't you on TV," a student actor asked him in the flash play. "Aren't you on Dexter?" Click through for photos from the flash play.

The USC Libraries have begun a collaboration with USC School of Dramatic Arts professor Oliver Mayer to showcase the essential role of libraries in discovery and the creative arts through an upcoming series of flash plays. The original plays—short, one-act pieces written by Dramatic Arts students, faculty, and alumni—will appear spontaneously across campus beginning this spring and continuing throughout the fall 2013 semester. The first flash play in the series, which will be performed at a specific time and location to be announced through Twitter (@USCLibraries) and other social media, will take place near Doheny Memorial Library during the week of April 22. Keep reading to learn more about the flash play series.

The GRAMMY Foundation announced a $10,000 grant to support the preservation of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives' rich audio collections. The grant will fund the digital preservation of one-of-a-kind recordings of early LGBT activists dating back to the 1950s. The recordings capture the voices of early activists like Ivy Bottini, Morris Kight, and Phyllis Lyon as well as their views on topics ranging from military service, marriage equality, and the struggle for many basic legal protections taken for granted in our democracy. Keep reading for more details.

The USC Writers Conference returns to Doheny Memorial Library this Thursday and Friday, April 18 and 19. The two-day conference brings together writers, editors, illustrators, and others for an exploration of writing and the creative process. Renowned writing coach Ivory Madison, founder of the Red Room online writers studio, will lead two hands-on instructional sessions. Fees for the conference — hosted by the USC Libraries and the USC Office of Continuing Education and Summer Programs—are $125 for the general public and $75 for USC students, alumni, and Friends of the USC Libraries and include lunch each day. RSVP online, or contact Eileen Kohan at kohan@usc.edu or (213) 740-5679 for more information. Click through for the full conference program.

Stop by the Friends of the USC Libraries' booth during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 20-21 to discover the benefits of becoming a Friend. The Friends booth, number 914, is located in USC's Alumni Park in front of Doheny Memorial Library.

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) recently awarded $203,200 to Out West: The LGBTQ Community Archive Cataloging Project, a collaborative effort to process rare archival materials held by the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives and the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. Included in the project are 111 archival collections featuring a wealth of rare materials, ranging from the suit worn by Harvey Milk when he was assassinated to early gay and lesbian wedding photos, matchbooks from 1950s gay bars, and memorabilia from José Sarria’s 1961 campaign for San Francisco city supervisor. Keep reading for photos and details about the project.

Thanks to a $133,577 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives launched a project that will make its archival holdings on LGBT activism and history dramatically more accessible to researchers. The collections selected for the project document the beginnings of the LGBT civil rights movement in the United States and the daily lives of a number of prominent artists, activists, and writers. Keep reading for photos from several collections that will be made available through this project. 

The USC Libraries have partnered with the USC Marshall School of Business to develop an online master of management in library and information science (MMLIS) program. When it launches in May, the new degree program will be one of the first U.S. programs in librarianship affiliated with a major business school. Read Amy Blumenthal's story for the USC News website to learn more. 

Thanks to a 2009 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), the USC Libraries recently created online finding aids for 27 archival collections covering diverse aspects of Southern California history. Among the highlights of the Excavating L.A. project are the papers of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, which investigated the 1991 beating of Rodney King, and the Webster Commission, which investigated the civil unrest that followed the 1992 acquittal of the four LAPD officers charged with the King beating. Other collections include rare materials documenting the Bunker Hill Redevelopment and Century Freeway projects, women's voting rights activist Amy Ransome, and the vast photo morgue of the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper. Keep reading for a complete list of the collections processed through this project.