For American Archives Month, we turned to social media to gather your questions about all things archives. Though the archives are an active and vital part of the MAH, the work behind them often remains a bit of a mystery. Our goal is to shed light on this process—demystifying historical collections and making them accessible to everyone. In this post, we’ll explore different facets of archival work by answering some of the thoughtful questions we received from our community.
Can you share the oldest known photograph from Santa Cruz County?
This photograph, taken between 1859–1860, shows what Santa Cruz looked like at the very beginning, almost twenty years before it officially became a city in 1876. When Santa Cruz County was just getting its start, developers like the Hihn family made a significant contribution to the city’s early infrastructure and business. As seen in this photograph, Hihn’s Flatiron Building had just gotten built, and remained erected until the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. This view also shows various other establishments, including saloons, lodging, and merchants.
Below: Downtown Santa Cruz, 1859-60, MAH Photographs Collection
When will the MAH Archives be fully digital?
Institutions across the country that house archives are increasingly focused on digitizing their collections—and the MAH is no exception. Over the past few years, and with support from vital organizations like the IMLS, the MAH has digitized thousands of items on a collection-by-collection basis. This work includes the Santa Cruz LGBTQ+ Collection, the Dan Dickmeyer Collection, and the ongoing digitization of the 10,000- item MAH Photographs Collection—arguably the most comprehensive and wide-ranging in our archives.
The goal of fully digitizing every item is ambitious and not likely to be completed soon, but through the daily work of cataloging dozens of items, we’re steadily building toward that future.
Which piece in the collection is the hardest to care for/most delicate?
Most of our collection items are paper-based—and therefore inherently fragile. Over time, a variety of factors contribute to the degradation of paper: humidity, light exposure, and even small things like staples, tape, or glue can cause lasting damage. This deterioration threatens the preservation of our past; as words fade and materials weaken, pieces of history risk being lost or distorted.
As a result, archivists carefully handle broken and damaged items and perform repairs as needed. Materials are stored in high-quality Mylar sleeves and, when significantly damaged, may be fully encapsulated for added protection. These collections-care practices follow national archival standards and continue to evolve as new technologies and preservation methods emerge.
Below: Laborer leads a team of horses at Bean Creek Mill, 1890-1910, MAH Photographs Collection
What's your favorite part of being an archivist?
When I started my career in archives at the MAH, I was just beginning to understand how vast and varied this field is. My first project—digitizing the Santa Cruz LGBTQ+ Collection—exposed me to such interesting and important materials that I felt immense pride in aiding in the preservation of queer history and the lives of trailblazers. Beyond historical preservation, being an archivist means you learn new things everyday through the material you work with in your collection. It’s such interesting and varied work, and working with collections donated from Santa Cruz County community members and organizations makes me feel even more tethered to our wonderful community.