A Living, Breathing Revolution: How Libraries Can Use “Living Archives” to Support, Engage, and Document Social Movements

Abstract

Where does and should the future of libraries lie? What were once concrete, brick, and glass structures have since become a third place where community, art, and culture reside. What is next? The #searchunderoccupy exhibit in the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center in New York City is a “living archive” that visually displays the creative and critical responses of the New School’s student community to the Occupy Wall Street movement. It is composed not only of elements such as video, photographs, audio and performance projects, but also text-based works such as live feed tag clouds, posters, and blogs. By their very nature, libraries are poised to become forces for social change and using this exhibit as an example, libraries themselves can show the life of their communities by putting their responses on display to support their involvement in social movements, engage others, and document for the future. There are many iterations of the living archive in libraries such as the digitization of audio-visual materials or allowing people to share their memories, knowledge, photos and opinions through a virtual space. The closest to the #searchunderoccupy exhibit example is capturing the activities and conversations of designer William McDonough for the Stanford University libraries. Unlike these projects, the New School’s method allows for a greater range of self-expression through visual mediums and accounts for the technology of today. Social media is what has helped spread the social movements of the current generation and with its ever changing nature, this version of a living archive presents a future library full of infinite possibilities.