Abstract:

Archivists and other information professionals recognize the importance of student life records and materials in contributing to diverse collections that can provide a more accurate representation of university histories. They also acknowledge significant gaps in materials that capture the experiences of underrepresented or marginalized communities that are constitutive of campus life. To help address these gaps in university histories, librarians and archivists strive to partner with student organizations to establish trust and collect responsibly with the hopes of contributing to broader goals of social justice. While supporting a more accurate historical record is important, professionals working closely with student organizations in this space face obstacles. Like any other organization, student organizations face challenges with record creation and management. While many organizations face these challenges, student organizations can be "delicate enterprises" that often do not benefit from the long history, physical infrastructures, and dedicated staff afforded to campus units like libraries and (university) cultural centers. The absence of record management can cause significant cognitive burdens for students and can even pose existential threats to these communities given the degree of turnover of student leadership.

Recognizing these obstacles, Purdue libraries, campus cultural centers, and students partnered to support student organization data management efforts through a peer information consultancy (PIC) initiative. Partners chose to de-center the filling of institutional repositories by focusing on the role of data and reflective data practices in student community building and organizational sustainability. While "data" often signify, and are critiqued as, discrete numerical abstractions divorced from context, partners held an eclectic understanding of data, working together to create opportunities for data creation and visualization, such as the creation of blog posts, zines, and oral histories. In collaboration with student organizations, we recalibrate programmatic objectives to cultivate interest, develop skills, and co-construct narratives that honor each organization's values and histories. Rather than privileging either representational authenticity or completeness, we prioritize the work of community-building as an ongoing, present-centered practice. Both the discussions and data creation/visualization activities also provided ample opportunities to reflect on issues related to data preservation. We argue that by prioritizing community sustainability and growth, libraries, cultural centers, and students can work together with shared interests in supporting the responsible creation and preservation of student life materials, and in creating valuable experiential learning opportunities for students.

Keywords:

Student organizations, experiential learning, libraries, archives, data literacy.