Archiving the Black Web: A National Forum to Map the Landscape, Define the Issues, and Plan a Strategy for Documenting the Black Experience Online (ATBW)

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

“Archiving the Black Web: A National Forum to Map the Landscape, Define the Issues, and Plan a Strategy for Documenting the Black Experience Online” (ATBW) is an initiative of Broward County’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) focusing on creating strategies for collecting and preserving Black culture online. Launched in 2020 by AARLCC, in partnership with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Spelman College Archives, Auburn Avenue Research Library, Langston Hughes Community Library and the African Museum and Library at Oakland, the goal of ATBW is to develop an infrastructure and framework to collect and preserve Black history and culture online. ATBW is funded by a prestigious Institute of Museum and Library Services grant and includes two national convenings, an archiving workshop and a project website. The workshop/meeting components were designed as in-person events, but COVID-19 delayed the project and prompted the first scheduled convening to move online. Held in April 2021, it had over 700 attendees. A second convening is planned for 2022. As the first library initiative of its kind, ATBW has enjoyed a high level of participation as well as media coverage, with articles in local and national newspapers and online publications.