3.4 Collection Building with Individuals

CAC staff worked with four individuals who contributed their personal papers to the CAC collection. These individuals got involved through networking, word of mouth, and fate. While the CAC staff began collecting stories through the interactive story map and mass email campaigns, the primary means to developing deep connections with these individuals occurred through word of mouth networking, snowball recommendations, and targeting specific organizations with similar missions as the CAC.

Local filmmaker Paul Jackson shared his collection of born-digital videos which include short documentaries, interviews with local individuals, and recordings of community events. Justi Pfutzenreuter, a local researcher and filmmaker, contributed her research files on the Salishan neighborhood along with her film Narratives of Salishan.

Sulja Warnick, public school teacher and one of the leaders of the Korean Women’s Association (KWA) shared documentation of the non-profit organization and her personal life. Her journey is one of many places and many connections. The success she co-created has spanned countries and served thousands of people.

For example, KWA started as a small social club for Korean women and has expanded to a non-profit organization that provides education, affordable housing, in-home care for seniors, and social services, including domestic violence counseling. KWA has offices in 14 Western Washington counties, serving up to 150,000 people of 40 nationalities and 35 language groups. The organization is now 51 years old.

Local speaker, author, and musician Charles Carson donated his papers over the course of Phase II. Carson shared a collection of documents and photographs related to his life in the Eastside of Tacoma, including his relationship with Puyallup activist Ramona Bennett, his experience of violence and juvenile incarceration, and his nationally-recognized work to support local underserved youth. Much of this content has been digitized and made available in Northwest ORCA. The Charles Carson Papers have also been used in several classes and educational programs.

Oral history interviews

An oral history interview program was established by CAC staff during Phase II. Community members had expressed interest in sharing spoken stories as part of the project during Phase I.

The oral history program has become a popular way for people to contribute to the project. The format of the interview (audio and/or video) varied depending on interview location, interviewee preference, and staff/equipment availability. Interviews have been conducted in library meeting spaces, the library’s Digital Media Lab recording studio, at community events, or at another location requested by the individual being interviewed.

Participants either expressed interest in being interviewed at an outreach event, were connected to the CAC through a partner organization, or were contacted directly and invited to participate. The program focused on recording stories from individuals who identify with underrepresented populations in Tacoma.

Prompts used for individual oral histories varied from prompts used in community events and group oral histories. See Appendix D for sample prompts available to print-out for narrator and interviewer reference. The three prompts used were:

1. Name some of the places, people, or things you call “home”.

2. Who are you and where do you come from?

3. What is your past and what are your dreams?

See the full, and growing, Community Archives Center Oral History Project catalog.