The Society of California Archivists (SCA) joins regional and national organizations including the Society of American Archivists, Densho, 

Chicago Area Archivistsand the Midwest Archives Conference in expressing shared concern over the proposed closure of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional facilities in San Bruno, California, Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. These regional archives have served as vital resources for historians, genealogists, filmmakers, and the general public for decades. We stand in solidarity with our colleagues at NARA during a period of instability and forced downsizing.

We are particularly concerned about the imminent closure of the National Archives at San Francisco and its effect on local communities that rely on these historical records. First opened in 1973, the National Archives at San Francisco holds over 100,000 cubic feet of irreplaceable primary source materials dating back to before California statehood in 1850. Its unique collections include Alcatraz inmate files, comprehensive documentation of Native American residential schools and censuses, and vital records concerning maritime history. Critically, the facility houses immigration case files and records of those who arrived through the Angel Island Immigration Station, capturing the histories of generations of Asian American families and the impacts of discriminatory immigration laws. It also preserves the records of landmark legal decisions, such as the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark Supreme Court case, which established birthright citizenship.

Closing these archives and displacing these materials creates geographic and financial barriers for local researchers, descendants, and community members seeking access to their own history, families, and heritage.  At the same time, archivists at the receiving facilities will be forced to deal with an overwhelming influx of unfamiliar records, inevitably creating backlogs for reference requests and public access.

NARA’s mission is to preserve public records to promote inquiry and strengthen democratic participation. At a time when informed engagement with history is critical to a healthy democracy, quietly closing regional facilities narrows the historical record itself. Furthermore, decision-makers have shown a lack of transparency with the public and the dedicated staff who preserve these records. Dedicated archivists who have spent years arranging, describing, and caring for these collections now face job loss. Downsizing permanently strips the institution of decades of deep institutional knowledge and specialized expertise that cannot simply be replaced or transferred.

Central to SCA’s core values is a commitment to free, equal, and transparent access to public information. Quietly closing facilities and stripping local communities of their physical history undermines public transparency, accountability, and equal access.

We urge SCA members, cultural heritage workers, and allies to take immediate action by contacting their Congressional representatives and federal leadership to push for accountability, transparency, and increased funding support for NARA’s vital mission.  You can look up your local representative directly through the U.S. House Representative Directory.

Together, we must support our colleagues, preserve irreplaceable institutional knowledge, and defend the principle that historical records belong to the communities whose stories they tell.

In solidarity,

Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists

The Publications Committee is excited to announce the publication of the Summer 2026 SCA Newsletter!

Go to https://calarchivists.org/Publications/SCANewsletter to see what your colleagues have been doing.

#SCA2026 #SocietyofCaliforniaArchivists #calarchivists #SCAnewsletter

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Society of American Archivists is developing an online exhibit that showcases the nationʻs rich, diverse, and challenging histories through the materials we care for in our repositories. We invite archival repositories across the states and territories to contribute one digital/digitized item to this exhibition. You can find more information about the initiative and the submission process on SAAʻs website. You do not have to be a member of SAA to participate.

Here are some of the submissions that weʻve received from California repositories so far (mahalo!!):

• Activista One (M.E.CH.A Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán, CSU, Bakersfield  publication), 1974, submitted by California State University, Bakersfield  
• "The Strike", Ayn Rand (earliest written notes for Atlas Shrugged),  1945-01-01, submitted by the Ayn Rand Institute 
• Photograph of the  Women's World Peace meeting at the Hollywood Bowl, 1921, submitted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives
• Bert the Turtle says Duck and Cover (pamphlet), Federal Civil Defense Administration, 1951, submitted by the Wende Museum
• Libro de Ordenanzas: Del año 1850 (Book of Ordinances: From the year 1850), submitted by the Office of the City Clerk, City of San Diego
• Letter, Viceroy Carlos de Croix to Junípero Serra, August 12, 1781, submitted by Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library
• North Bloomfield Gravel Mines, Nevada Co., Cal., circa 1871, submitted by the Society of California Pioneers

And here are some other submissions that illustrate the range of items repositories have been submitting:

• Fort Lawton Proclamation, United Indians of All Tribes, 1970-03, submitted by the Seattle Municipal Archives

• Hawaiian Soul (1987 documentary), submitted by 'Ulu'ulu: The Henry Ku'ualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu 

• Letter from Julius Rosenburg to Ethel Rosenburg, dated April 30, 1953, submitted by Gotlieb Center, Boston University Special Collections

• Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776, submitted by the Massachusetts Historical Society   

• Underground Railroad Pass in the Hand of Frederick Douglass, circa 1850, submitted by the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, & Preservation, University of Rochester Libraries

• Photo of Rodinʻs The Thinker after damage from a bomb (many suspected the Weathermen of this action), 1970, submitted by the Cleveland Museum of Art

• Jiro Kozai's 1939-1940 World's Fair Tickets & Invitations. submitted by the Japanese American Association of New York/Digital Museum of the History of Japanese in New York

• The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Play Fair Brochure (safer sex pamphlet), 1982, submitted by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

• Clyde Barrow Fingerprint Chart and Mughsot, 01/22/1928, submitted by the Dallas Municipal Archives

• USS Missouri (BB-63) deck plan diagram from during the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in 1945, submitted by the Naval History and Heritage Command

If your repository would like to contribute an item, please email SAAAmerica250TaskForce@archivists.org to receive an upload link and a link to the metadata form. (IMPORTANT: Please email SAA even if you previously received a link from Preservica--that link will no longer be active.)

Society of California Archivists on behalf of Society of American Archivists

• VP/President Elect: Mallory Furnier, CSUN
• Treasurer: Kate Dundon, UCSC
• Director-at-Large:  Christina Fidler, UC Berkeley

Learn more about our new Board members.

The clock is ticking – the 2026 Society of California Archivists Officer Election is almost over! If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, there’s still time to make your voice heard.

Voting Deadline: March 20, 2026

Head to your personal ballots in your email to cast your ballot!

• Vice President / President Elect (3-year term)
• Treasurer (2-year term)
• Director-at-Large (2-year term)
• Nominating Committee member (2-year term)

Your vote helps shape the future of the Society of California Archivists and ensures that our leadership reflects the values and needs of our community. Don’t miss your opportunity to make a difference!

The deadline to vote in the 2026 Society of California Archivists Officer Election is fast approaching!

Don’t forget to make your voice heard in shaping the future of the Society of California Archivists. Your vote counts!

Voting Deadline: March 20, 2026

Head to your personal ballots in your email to cast your ballot!

• Vice President / President Elect (3-year term)
• Treasurer (2-year term)
• Director-at-Large (2-year term)
• Nominating Committee member (2-year term)

Let’s keep moving forward, together!

#SCA2026 #ElectionReminder #Vote #SocietyofCaliforniaArchivists #SCALeadership #YourVoteMatters #calarchivists

Host a Member-Initiated Meetup!

Member-initiated events are informal, in-person or virtual gatherings for members to connect, catch up, and talk about the organization. Funds are available to SCA members for refreshments and other expenses for casual meetups, happy hours, coffee chats, or regional gatherings.

Why host a meetup?

• Strengthen local and regional member connections
• Create space for conversation about the organization
• Bring members together in a low-pressure, social setting

How it works:

1. SCA members submit a proposal to memberevents@calarchivists.org. Three weeks lead time is recommended.

2. Once you are notified that the event is approved, announce your event and gather RSVPs.

3. Be sure to retain receipts for refreshments or services purchased for your event.

4. At your event maintain a sign-in sheet. If more people attend than RSVPed you will be able to recoup more of your expenses for refreshments.

5. After your event, submit a reimbursement form (along with your receipts, sign-in or RSVP list) with a short report of your event to memberevents@calarchivists.org in order to be reimbursed for your event expenses.*

* Your report may be submitted to the SCA Newsletter to share the great activities that members are organizing. Photos of events are strongly encouraged!

Please see additional information here and get in touch with memberevents@calarchivists.org or membership@calarchivists.org with questions.

Call for Repository Tour Hosts

Are you interested in welcoming AGM attendees for a behind-the-scenes look at your repository? We’re seeking members across California who are willing to host informal tours of their facilities, collections, or workflows before and during the SCA AGM.

Tours might include:

• Collection storage or processing areas
• Preservation labs or digitization spaces
• Unique or highlight collections
• A brief overview of your institution’s work

To volunteer as a host:

Please email Local Arrangements at localarrangements@calarchivists.org and share your location, what you could showcase, and any scheduling considerations (best date & time, length of tour). All repositories must have an SCA delegate present for participant check-in.

Thank you for helping build a more connected and visible community—we can’t wait to share and visit the incredible work happening across California.

We invite you to help us recognize the outstanding work, service, and dedication of archivists and archival programs across California. Award recipients will be honored at the 2026 Annual General Meeting in
April, and we hope you’ll consider submitting a nomination.

Career Achievement Award
For a colleague with an outstanding archival career in California, including significant contributions such as establishing archives, teaching, mentorship, or writing.

Archival Award of Excellence
For a colleague who has made an exceptional contribution to the archives profession in California within the past five years.

Sustained Service Award
For an SCA member who has provided exemplary service to the Society over a period of at least 12 years.

Archives Appreciation Award
For a California agency, organization, or institution that has provided extraordinary support for archival programs, including public service, exhibits, outreach, or arrangement and description.

Thank you for helping us recognize outstanding archivists and archival programs across California. Please feel free to email the committee at awa...@calarchivists.org with any questions.

Best wishes,
SCA Awards Committee

Esperanza Bey (UCLA)
Kahlee Leingang (The Huntington)
Leilani Marshall (Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History)
Liane Schirmer (XCentricLA)
Nicole Shibata (CSU Northridge)
Christine Kim (California Digital Library), Chair