Cultivating Diversity

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the importance of documenting the history of traditionally underrepresented communities. It draws upon the author's experiences as director of the African American Women in Iowa Project, a collecting initiative launched by the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa Libraries and as curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature, a rare book and manuscript collection housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books department at the University of Minnesota Libraries. The author discusses considerations for launching such documentation projects with a particular focus on cultivating strong relationships with donors of manuscript material. Archivists, regardless of racial, ethnic, or cultural background, need to assess their motives and prospective strategies prior to embarking on such documentation initiatives.