The Queens Memory Program, and Archiving Queer Activism

Natalie Milbrodt (Queens Public Library) and Molly Rosner (LaGuardia and Wagner Archives) discuss their work on community-based archiving, strategies for preserving marginalized histories, and the challenges of creating digital interfaces for gathering, cataloguing, and storing personal histories. The Queens Memory Program, which developed from Milbrodt’s graduate thesis at Queens College, includes a volunteer-led project to document the history of LGBTQ activism in Queens. This colloquium will introduce this project, inviting members of the college community to contribute materials and to serve as oral history interviewers.

Natalie Milbrodt leads Queens Public Library’s Metadata Services Division, responsible for cataloging and digitizing the library’s collections. In 2010, Milbrodt developed the Queens Memory Program to collect images and stories from residents for the library’s digital archives. Milbrodt serves on the Oral History Association’s Metadata Task Force as an advisory board member for New York State Historical Records, Global Grand Central, and Wikitongues.

Molly Rosner is Assistant Director of Education Programs at the La Guardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. She received a PhD in American Studies from Rutgers University – Newark, and has worked as an oral historian, educator, researcher, and photographer at numerous cultural institutions around New York City.