Last week, on Tuesday October 19, 2021, archivist Loni Shibuyama spoke about USC’s ONE Archives, the largest LGBTQ archival collection. Loni introduced the background of ONE, followed by the types of collections stored at the archives as well as her required tasks and experiences as an archivist at ONE.

ONE initially began as a magazine in 1953. Over time, it published scholarly articles and lectures and hosted conferences and library tours. By the 1990s, the focus shifted towards being an archive and library. By 2010, ONE was officially known as the ONE Archives at USC Libraries. The archive is currently open five days a week and welcomes researchers from all institutions.

Materials from the archive date back all the way to the mid 1800s, which is interesting to note considering ONE was founded in the 1950s. Nevertheless, the strengths of ONE’s collection is the U.S., more specifically California in the twentieth century. That being said, the archives contain periodical collections, works and memorabilia from associations, and photos. Other materials found at ONE include posters, buttons, T-shirts, costumes, promotional products, uniforms, textiles, and paper records.

As an archivist at ONE, Loni is primarily responsible for art collections. Additionally, she organizes the storage areas, creates finding needs through archive space, advertises collections online, manages grant funds for maintaining collections, and shares reference, general, and administrative responsibilities with her colleagues.

Also, keep a lookout for our next featured presentation with the J. Paul Getty Trust Institutional Records and Archives on November 3, 2021.