June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives

June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives
Map
34°04′54.4″N 118°23′07.1″W / 34.081778°N 118.385306°W / 34.081778; -118.385306
Location626 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
TypeArchive
Established1981 (1981)
Collection
Items collectedPrivate papers, personal artifacts, organizational records, photographs, artwork, manuscripts, books, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, music recordings, videotapes, posters, flyers, buttons, clothing.
Criteria for collectionMaterials about lesbian and feminist history and culture.
Access and use
Access requirementsVisits – free. Special events require registration.
Other information
DirectorBoard of Directors
AffiliationUCLA Center for the Study of Women
Websitemazerlesbianarchives.org

The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives is a grass roots archive dedicated to collecting, protecting, and conserving lesbian and feminist women's history. The Archives was founded in 1981 as the West Coast Lesbian Collections (WCLC) by Lynn Fonfa and Cherrie Cox in Oakland, California.[1]

After establishing a board of directors, the WCLC was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In 1985, WCLC relocated to Southern California with the help of Connexxus Women's Center, Jean Conger,[2][3] and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of the City of West Hollywood,[4][1][5] and was maintained in the home of June L. Mazer and her partner Nancy "Bunny" MacCulloch in Altadena, California. The two women were custodians of the WCLC until Mazer's death from cancer in 1987. MacCulloch thereafter changed its name to the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives and continued to run the collection with the assistance of volunteers.[6] On November 28, 1988, the Mazer Archives moved from Altadena into the Werle Building, a space donated by the City of West Hollywood.[4][1] The following year, it received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.[7]

In 1989, the Mazer Archives created an outreach and collection-building partnership with the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and the UCLA Library Department of Special Collections of the Charles E. Young Research Library.[7][8][9] In 2011, it co-hosted the 3rd LGBT Archives, Libraries, Museums & Special Collections Conference.[10][11][12] In 2015, Wolfe Video donated 100 lesbian movies to the Archives.[13][14][15]

The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives describes itself as "the only archive on this side of the continent that is dedicated exclusively to preserving lesbian history...The Archives is committed to gathering and preserving materials by and about lesbians and feminists of all classes, ethnicities, races and experiences."[16] It is supported by funding from private donors and the City of West Hollywood, and has been run strictly by volunteers since 1985.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rebecka Taves (2015). The Emergence, Development and Survival of Four Lesbian and Gay Archives (PDF) (PhD). University of Toronto. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Love, Barbara J., ed. (2006). "Conger, Jean Tastrom". Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975 (1st ed.). Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0252031892. LCCN 2006020759.
  3. ^ "Jean Conger". UCLA Library Digital Collections. University of California, Los Angeles.
  4. ^ a b "Minutes: City Council Meeting". City of West Hollywood. November 21, 1988. p. 8.
  5. ^ Carmichael, James Vinson Jr., ed. (1998). Daring to Find Our Names: The Search for Lesbigay Library History. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 168. ISBN 0-313-29963-3.
  6. ^ Schroeder, Stephanie; Schenden, Laurie K (2008). "Lesbian Libraries". Curve. pp. 50–51. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Setzer, Dawn (November 5, 2009). "UCLA Library and Mazer Archives launch partnership". UCLA Newsroom. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "UCLA Library welcomes the Mazer Archive at UCLA" on YouTube. Published December 2, 2009.
  9. ^ "UCLA Digital Collections". UCLA Library. University of California, Los Angeles Library. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "LGBT ALMS 2011 Conference". San Francisco Public Library. 2011. OCLC 911189669. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  11. ^ Vecoli, Lisa (May 23, 2016). "Guest post: ALMS conference 2006 – 2016 and beyond..." LGBTQ+ Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  12. ^ emily (October 11, 2010). "June Mazer Lesbian Archives Conference – CFP". Center for Positive Sexuality. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Wolfe Video Donates Complete Lesbian DVD Library to June Mazer Lesbian Archives". Curve. August 3, 2015.
  14. ^ Kang, Inkoo (August 4, 2015). "Wolfe Video Donates 100 Lesbian Films to June Mazer Lesbian Archives". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  15. ^ "Wolfe Video Donates 100 Lesbian Films to June Mazer Lesbian Archives". Women and Hollywood. August 4, 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Herstory". June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. Retrieved 17 June 2019.