UCLA IS Expertise Serves Communities in the Pandemic with the Digital Resource Development Initiative

The Digital Resource Development Initiative was established in March 2020 by the UCLA Department of Information Studies, with the goal of developing digital resources that would be relevant to different communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, in support of the department’s mission and vision.

The initiative showcases the professional expertise of UCLA IS students, while providing a wide range of applied experiences. Undergraduate, MLIS and Ph.D. students submitted project proposals for funding awards to support the development of their individual proposals between March and September 2020. Several students also partnered with local repositories to assist them in developing their digital presence during the pandemic.

Projects include “Work and Wellness LA,” a resource designed to help workers in Los Angeles County who have lost their job or employment hours as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; “The Resources for Southeast Asian Communities Handbook compiles and highlights resources and services for Southeast Asian community members facing hardships brought on by COVID-19; “Cross-generational Engagement: Sustaining Community Archives’ Futures,” which is designed to foster healthy intergenerational co communication in community-based archival spaces; “Mur Murs: Murals, Chicanas, and the Female Gaze,” a digital exhibit created in collaboration with the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and Google Arts and Culture, uncovering the hidden stories behind the murals created by 20 Century Chicana artists in Los Angeles; and “Rebel Archives in the Golden Gulag,” which details the history of revolutionary Black freedom struggles inside prison walls, and the transformative organizing of incarcerated people. 

Visit this link to view projects from the UCLA IS Digital Resource Development Initiative.