UCLA Library To House LAUSD Historical Records
History buffs rejoice. The UCLA Library is slated to acquire the historical records of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), according to the UCLA Newsroom. The extensive archive covers major district operations dating back to the late 19th century.
Spanning over a century of Southern California public education and civic life, the archive contains demographic surveys conducted in the 1920s with the intent to segregate school populations based on race, records of the school board's response to the Crawford desegregation lawsuit filed in 1963 plus decades of files detailing the district's administration of busing and desegregation programs.
Other significant contents range from publications distributed by Susan Miller Dorsey, the first female superintendent appointed in 1920, to photos that captured the reconstruction of schools and neighborhoods after the 1933 earthquake in Long Beach.
The L.A. community will benefit from public access to the archive, and both the UCLA Library and the LAUSD are anxious for its unveiling.
"We are honored that the LAUSD has given the UCLA Library these invaluable records," said UCLA University Librarian Gary E. Strong. "As the leading public academic research library in Southern California, we plan to preserve these materials and make them publicly accessible as part of the university's ongoing involvement with civic life and public education in this region."
"This acquisition of the LAUSD historical records provides an opportunity for UCLA to serve the greater Los Angeles community through our research and scholarship," said Keith S. Parker, UCLA assistant vice chancellor for government and community relations. "Our commitment to public service is integral to the university's overall mission."
