Community-Based Archives & Projects
Buncombe County Special Collections (BCSC) is dedicated to actively collecting, preserving, and providing access to the history of Buncombe County and its people. In recent years, BCSC staff have worked with other branch libraries and community organizations to create community-based archival collections and history projects.
What is a Community-Based Archive?
A community-based archive is one that is (generally) intentionally crafted by a group of people who share some kind of identity and work together to preserve the history of their community. The archived material can come in the form of photos, documents, and in the case of most community archives, oral histories. Guiding principles of BCSC’s involvement in community-based archives include centering the needs of communities over institutions, empowering local memory keepers, providing direct support and resources to partner organizations, and acting as a central hub for community members to preserve their own history at any size or budget.
Below, you can browse some of the community-based archives in our region, including those organized by and housed at our library, and others.
Are you interested in creating an archive for your community, volunteering as an interviewer, or transcribing oral history recordings? Perhaps you would like to be interviewed or know someone with a story to tell? Contact us and learn how to launch your own community-driven archiving project with these resources about oral histories and personal archiving. Be sure to also check out information about BCSC’s equity initiatives!
Current & Ongoing Projects
Come Hell or High Water
In late September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene ripped through Western North Carolina, forever reshaping communities, individual lives, and the natural and built environment. This community memory project offers a pathway for community reflection, healing, and long-term development of community memory. Learn more and help support the project.
Black Asheville History Project
BCSC began hosting Black Asheville History Harvest events in 2019, and continues to support community archiving efforts and public programs based around historically Black communities through partnerships with organizations including the YMI Cultural Center and neighborhood associations. Learn more about equity initiatives.
West Asheville History Project
Since the 1990s, the West Asheville Branch Library has served as a nexus for individuals and partner organizations to share the history of this area through collections and public programs. Contact BCSC or West Asheville library staff to learn how to get involved! Visit westashevillehistory.org to learn more.
Past/Inactive Projects
Fairview Community History Project
From 2018-2020, Fairview resident volunteers collected 52 interviews and scanned an incredible amount of original 19th century photographs relating the Fairview community. Read more
North Asheville Community History Project
The North Asheville History Project was the first community-driven project conceived as a collaboration between BCSC and a branch library. Volunteers collected 43 oral histories. Read more
Stephens-Lee Alumni Project
Research by Librarian Zoe Rhine about the faculty of Asheville’s legendary African American high school led to a collaboration with the Stephens-Lee Alumni Association and Stephens-Lee Community Center. Read more
African American Communities Oral History Project
Oral histories were collected from residents of neighborhoods including Southside, Shiloh, Stumptown, Montford and Valley Street/East End. Read more
Southside Community History Project
Beginning with a roundtable discussion at the Wesley Grant Center in 2017, residents shared memories of what it was like to grow up in the Southside neighborhood. Read more
Asheville Gay Community Project
BCSC partnered with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College to begin a project for A-B Tech students to interview gay community members in Asheville. Read more
Other WNC Community Archives Projects
Blue Ridge Pride LGBTQIA+ Archive
Launched in 2019, this collection includes 100+ LGBTQIA+ oral histories as well as physical artifacts, collected with the help of community volunteers and undergraduate UNCA students. Visit the website.
DIYabled: Project 504
Local grassroots organization DIYabled has launched a project to collect stories in any format (video, audio, written, or any other way you communicate to the world) about the impact of Section 504. Learn more