Archives Activist

Courtney Dean is an archivist and community convener who oversees the Center for Primary Research and Training (CPRT) at UCLA Library’s Special Collections, an innovative fellowship program providing hands-on training in archival methodology to graduate students. Matching students’ skills and interests to archival collections, Dean has proven herself an attentive mentor and creative catalyst for engaging in critical archival work with programs such as Activating the Archive.

Dean’s efforts are regional and national. She is a founding member of the Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC), a dynamic community of more than 400 archivists and librarians that hosts networking and training and produces Acid-Free, an online journal. According to UCLA colleague Angel Diaz, Dean has leveraged her skills in a “leadership role within the Issues and Advocacy Section of the Society of American Archivists, where she took part in overhauling legacy work flows and refined the section’s mission.” Moreover, says Diaz, Dean “considers what her role can be in taking on issues of inequality and regularly takes the lead on conversations around dismantling white supremacy in the archives.”

In April 2018, Dean coproduced the Archives NOW miniconference for students and archivists in collaboration with LAAC and the UCLA Library and graduate information studies program. She made sure participants felt safe so they could speak openly about experiences, views, and ideas. According to Dean, “having a support network and a sense of community give me the motivation and courage to be a change agent.”