National Council on Public History

PROPOSAL TYPE

Structured Conversation

SEEKING

• Seeking Additional Presenters

RELATED TOPICS

• Archives
• Preservation
• Public Engagement

ABSTRACT

School archives are often underutilized, viewed as repositories rather than active tools for public history. This session explores how school-based archives can be transformed into sites of engagement, interpretation, and community connection. Using a case study from Our Lady of the Elms School, it demonstrates how archival collections support student learning, public programming, and institutional storytelling through classroom integration, student-driven exhibits, and digital outreach. The session situates school archives within broader conversations about access and audience, offering practical strategies for activating collections in small or resource-limited institutions and connecting institutional history to wider public narratives.

DESCRIPTION

School archives are often perceived as static repositories—spaces dedicated to preservation rather than participation. Yet in many institutions, especially small or resource-limited ones, these collections hold untapped potential as dynamic tools for public history, teaching, and community engagement. This session examines how school-based archives can be transformed from storage spaces into active sites of interpretation and connection.

Drawing on the development of the archive at Our Lady of the Elms School in Akron, Ohio, this presentation offers a practical case study of building and activating an institutional archive within a K–12 educational environment. Over the past several years, the archive has evolved into a central resource for storytelling, engagement, and learning, connecting students, alumnae, and the broader community to the school’s 100+ year history.

The session highlights three primary areas of activation. First, it explores classroom integration, where archival materials are used to support inquiry-based learning and help students develop skills in analysis, interpretation, and historical thinking. Second, it examines student-driven exhibit work, including projects such as a curated postcard exhibit, which demonstrate how primary sources can be transformed into public-facing narratives that extend beyond the classroom. Third, it considers outward-facing engagement strategies, including digital storytelling, social media, and alumnae outreach, which broaden access and invite new audiences into the archive.

Situating this work within broader public history conversations, the session addresses key questions about access, audience, and sustainability. How can small institutions activate collections without extensive resources? What strategies allow institutional history to resonate with wider publics? And how can archivists and educators collaborate to create meaningful, mission-driven programming?

Designed for archivists, educators, and public historians working in schools, small museums, or community-based institutions, this session provides adaptable, scalable strategies that participants can implement in their own contexts. By reframing archives as active spaces of engagement, this session demonstrates how even modest collections can generate meaningful public history work.

If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Dana Best-Miszak, Our Lady of the Elms School, [email protected]  

All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by June 5, 2026. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.

Discussion